Boston - Against Healthy/Cheap Food

My long-time and even barely-perceptive readers know that I consider Boston/Massachusetts one of the worst places in the galaxy.

Here's more evidence:

Massachusetts ranks nearly dead last — third from the bottom nationally — in having enough supermarkets with fresh, nutritious food, according to a report to be released today by the Massachusetts Public Health Association.

The shortage is especially severe in lower-income communities, where many residents struggle with obesity and related ailments.

The analysis — done for the public health advocacy group by the Food Trust, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit — found that in some cities, such as Lowell and Fitchburg, the number of supermarkets would need to double to be in line with the national average.

In other urban areas, including Boston, Springfield, and Brockton, there are about 30 percent fewer supermarkets per person than the national average, the researchers found.

Hah!

Consider that at this very moment, and for some time now, Boston Mayor Menino has been fighting and preventing Wal-Mart from opening a store in Boston. Wal-Mart just happens to be the nation's largest and cheapest grocer!

And I also heard that community activists in Jamaica Plain are thwarting a Whole Foods store in that town as well!

Many commenters on that article have asserted that grocery stores, which have razor-thin margins in the first place, generally can't survive in cities on account of *inventory management issues*, i.e. customer theft!

Note that Massachusetts has a LONG history of terrible food/produce.

Some 30 years ago a young C-Nut was force-fed canned lima beans, canned waxed beans, and other disgusting whatnot at *supper*.

See also:

Massachusetts Morons Vote For Self-Taxation, Again

Massachusetts - The Dumbest State, QED