It has been reported that produce sales rose in 2019 to $62-billion, up from 60.8 billion in 2018. If the average price that made up the sales total was $1.75/lb, then 17.714 million tons of produce was consumed...

It has been reported that produce sales rose in 2019 to $62-billion, up from 60.8 billion in 2018. If the average price that made up the sales total was $1.75/lb, then 17.714 million tons of produce was consumed. USDA and HHS recommendations are that the average American should eat six to nine ounces of fresh produce daily which for a population of 320-million would require more than 21.9 million tons per year.

Reverend Bill Barber’s claim that there are 140,000,000 poor people in the United States presents a correlative fact that few of these people at or near the poverty line can afford fresh produce, especially not at large box stores in the burbs.

The article described how grocers are expanding produce sections, stocking them with new and exotic varieties and adding services such as juice bars and vegetable packs. It also mentioned that “delivery (i.e. shipping costs) is straining an already-low-margin” business model. Further, it mentioned that Kroger is also working with startups on plans to grow herbs at it’s stores and make produce last longer.”

“Produce presents challenges for retailers. Cold storage trucks and storage facilities are expensive and complicated to operate. Produce is easily bruised in transit, leading to higher loss rates than other products.”

The article is very interesting because it highlights the basic issues that the Ohio Healthy Food Cooperative is addressing, including the discussion of healthy food – organic is one descriptor, effectively relating the concern of food consumers, you and me, about the nutrient quality and safety of the food we eat. Glyphosate is a poisonous toxic chemical that is destroying American Health and exponentially increasing healthcare costs.

Further, the emphasis on FRESH carries an inference that local production is critical to the food industry where the freight costs on a load of fresh tomatoes from Mexico may exceed its’ wholesale price. With the cost of operating the big eighteen wheelers hauling reefer semi-trailers, the round-trip cost of diesel, maintenance, and tire replacement is estimated to be $1.63/mile, not including driver’s wages.

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The advantage of climate – lots of sunshine - when produce is grown in areas remote to the bulk of the population is often offset by the lack of dependable rainfall in amounts needed when needed. California and other grower states depend heavily on deep aquifers for irrigation. The draw down of these ancient waters will never be mitigated – the water once pumped out of the ground is gone forever.

The Midwest including Ohio has abundant rainfall, an average of about 36” with many rivers and lakes, dams and reservoirs to supply the water we need for life. Farmers, industry and municipalities have abused our water supply disgracefully. The temptation to pass along the associated costs of failing to treat wastewater follows the philosophy of externality transfer so widely accepted as a profit source.

The Ohio Healthy Food Cooperative Mega Plan suggests using Ohio’s Opportunity Zone (2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act) to actually create new jobs in the 300 Ohio zones. These jobs will be in manufacturing, construction, growing, aggregating, distributing, processing (salad mixes, flash frozen veggies, soups and smoothie purees) and marketing online as well as through the OHFC Veggie Café and Juice Bars.

This investment using IRS capital tax mitigation regulations sets up a comp

lete spectrum of social investment that responds to the motivation of the 2017-TC&JA to relieve poverty and uniformly provide services to historically underserved communities.

Join us now. Do something for yourself! Let’s defeat farm runoff, bad food, bad water, bad jobs, bad economy starting with this first step.

Look up our website www.ohiohealthyfoodcooperative.org and download the application form. Take Action don’t wait until we have destroyed our waterways and Great Lakes. Join the Ohio Healthy Food Cooperative today with your $20 gift.