Post by Bill on Aug 7, 2007 10:53:23 GMT -8
My wife and I will no longer go into Ranch Market, even for smaller items. The place is even more dirty now than usual. I think they know it's going away and their standards of cleanliness are even worse than in the past.
Has anyone heard about Tesco coming to Azusa? What is Tesco like?
"While Azusa's King Ranch Market will soon close, City Manager Fran Delach said a Tesco Fresh and Easy store will be opening within 18 months."
www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_6560290
Obesity crisis hits poor
By Bethania Palma, Staff Writer
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Betty Johnson has a difficult time getting around these days.
The 79-year-old Azusa resident can't drive because of impaired vision caused by diabetes and that means she relies on the city's Dial-A-Ride program to get the nearest grocery store across town.
"It's a life-saver," she said of the program.
Azusa, like many lower-income communities in Los Angeles County, has fewer grocery stores than neighboring cities, meaning access is limited for the less mobile.
Public health experts said a lack of availability of fresh produce and an overabundance of fast-food restaurants and liquor stores is contributing to a growing diabetes crisis in lower-income communities.
"Fresh fruit, vegetables and milk still belong to the rich folk," said Wanda Grant, director of food services for El Monte City School District, in an earlier interview regarding nutrition. "They have the money to buy it, transport it and get it into the fridge before it goes bad."
Rocky Estrada, registered nurse and certified diabetes educator at Beverly Hospital in Montebello, agreed.
"If you're on a limited income, it's very easy to drive through McDonald's and fill everyone up with hamburgers and Happy Meals," he said. "It's very convenient if you have three, four, five kids."
The result of unhealthy eating habits, doctors said, is often obesity, which can lead to diabetes, a chronic disease which inhibits the body's production of the hormone insulin that allows it to process sugar.
Dr. Shafiq Shamsid-Deen, primary care physician at the Azusa Health Center, said easy access to the wrong foods can lead to larger medical issues down the road.
Within 10 to 20 years, he said, he expects to see people in their 30s suffering the long-term consequences of the disease, which can include kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes.
"From First (Street) all the way to the Ranch Market (in Azusa), you'll pass at least a dozen restaurants and fast-food places just to get to a supermarket," he said. "If (residents) don't have access to the healthier food, it makes it very difficult for the community to serve itself nutritionally."
Grant said parents with limited time, funds and transportation are often left with little choice on food for hungry children.
Often, she said, low-income families don't own cars needed to get to grocery stores in other neighborhoods.
Grant said she counted 17 fast-food, liquor stores or restaurants on a recent 2.3-mile drive to the nearest grocery store.
At Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Joanne Lamberty a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, has noticed a disturbing diabetes trend in children for the first time.
"We used to see Type 2 diabetes mostly in people over 40. Now we see it in kids as young as 7 and 14," she said.
Nutrition experts in El Monte said the city of 122,000 has few options since Vons and Albertsons closed shop several years ago.
El Monte City Manager Jim Mussenden said many residents travel to Arcadia's Albertsons to do their shopping.
"Residents have expressed their concerns," he said. "There's nothing locally that they can go to."
Economic experts and representatives of some of the larger supermarket retail chains say it all comes down to two things: economics and space. Can a community support a large supermarket, and is there room in some sections of a crowded Southern California?
Representatives from the retail grocery industry said there are various challenges in building stores in densely populated, urban areas.
Bill Greer, communications director for the Arlington, Virginia-based Food Marketing Institute, said some areas are built out and accommodating a 30,000 to 50,000 square foot store is difficult.
"There are a lot of logistical things to consider that make building stores in inner-city areas more challenging," he said.
Greer said the highly competitive nature of the industry, coupled with the high cost of building a new store and narrow profit margins make companies cautious about adding new locations.
"Supermarkets have to make a determination whether there is a sufficient customer base to make an income," he said. "The after-tax profit is about a penny on every dollar of sales."
Officials said they are trying to bring grocery stores into their communities.
While Azusa's King Ranch Market will soon close, City Manager Fran Delach said a Tesco Fresh and Easy store will be opening within 18 months.
"We've been actively trying to recruit supermarkets into the downtown area," he said.
Mussenden said El Monte is also recruiting, but nothing is definite. He added that part of the challenge is that the city is more or less built out.
"(We) continue to talk to market chains in efforts to bring in a grocery store," he said.
Lorraine Gutierrez, administrator for the Azusa Health Center, said smaller measures could do the community a lot of good.
"If we could just have a Farmer's Market, just that alone would really help," she said.
But, she added, the cheap cost and proximity of fast food is part of the problem.
"You can't argue with economics," she said.
Staff Writer Emanuel Parker contributed to this story.
bethania.palma@sgvn.com
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2236Diabetes epidemic hits L.A.
By Bethania Palma, Staff Writer
Betty Johnson has a difficult time getting around these days.
The 79-year-old Azusa resident can't drive because of impaired vision caused by diabetes and that means she relies on the city's Dial-A-Ride program to get the nearest grocery store across town.
"It's a life-saver," she said of the program.
Azusa, like many lower-income communities in Los Angeles County, has fewer grocery stores than neighboring cities, meaning access is limited for the less mobile.
Public health experts said a lack of availability of fresh produce and an overabundance of fast-food restaurants and liquor stores is contributing to a growing diabetes crisis in lower-income communities.
"Fresh fruit, vegetables and milk still belong to the rich folk," said Wanda Grant, director of food services for El Monte City School District, in an earlier interview regarding nutrition. "They have the money to buy it, transport it and get it into the fridge before it goes bad."
Rocky Estrada, registered nurse and certified diabetes educator at Beverly Hospital in Montebello, agreed.
"If you're on a limited income, it's very easy to drive through McDonald's and fill everyone up with hamburgers and Happy Meals," he said. "It's very convenient if you have three, four, five kids."
The result of unhealthy eating habits, doctors said, is often obesity, which can lead to diabetes, a chronic disease which inhibits the body's production of the hormone insulin that allows it to process sugar.
Dr. Shafiq Shamsid-Deen, primary care physician at the Azusa Health Center, said easy access to the wrong foods can lead to larger medical issues down the road.
Within 10 to 20 years, he said, he expects to see people in their 30s suffering the long-term consequences of the disease, which can include kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes.
"From First (Street) all the way to the Ranch Market (in Azusa), you'll pass at least a dozen restaurants and fast-food places just to get to a supermarket," he said. "If (residents) don't have access to the healthier food, it makes it very difficult for the community to serve itself nutritionally."
Grant said parents with limited time, funds and transportation are often left with little choice on food for hungry children.
Often, she said, low-income families don't own cars needed to get to grocery stores in other neighborhoods.
Grant said she counted 17 fast-food, liquor stores or restaurants on a recent 2.3-mile drive to the nearest grocery store.
At Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Joanne Lamberty a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, has noticed a disturbing diabetes trend in children for the first time.
"We used to see Type 2 diabetes mostly in people over 40. Now we see it in kids as young as 7 and 14," she said.
Nutrition experts in El Monte said the city of 122,000 has few options since Vons and Albertsons closed shop several years ago.
El Monte City Manager Jim Mussenden said many residents travel to Arcadia's Albertsons to do their shopping.
"Residents have expressed their concerns," he said. "There's nothing locally that they can go to."
Economic experts and representatives of some of the larger supermarket retail chains say it all comes down to two things: economics and space. Can a community support a large supermarket, and is there room in some sections of a crowded Southern California?
Representatives from the retail grocery industry said there are various challenges in building stores in densely populated, urban areas.
Bill Greer, communications director for the Arlington, Virginia-based Food Marketing Institute, said some areas are built out and accommodating a 30,000 to 50,000 square foot store is difficult.
"There are a lot of logistical things to consider that make building stores in inner-city areas more challenging," he said.
Greer said the highly competitive nature of the industry, coupled with the high cost of building a new store and narrow profit margins make companies cautious about adding new locations.
"Supermarkets have to make a determination whether there is a sufficient customer base to make an income," he said. "The after-tax profit is about a penny on every dollar of sales."
Officials said they are trying to bring grocery stores into their communities.
While Azusa's King Ranch Market will soon close, City Manager Fran Delach said a Tesco Fresh and Easy store will be opening within 18 months.
"We've been actively trying to recruit supermarkets into the downtown area," he said.
Mussenden said El Monte is also recruiting, but nothing is definite. He added that part of the challenge is that the city is more or less built out.
"(We) continue to talk to market chains in efforts to bring in a grocery store," he said.
Lorraine Gutierrez, administrator for the Azusa Health Center, said smaller measures could do the community a lot of good.
"If we could just have a Farmer's Market, just that alone would really help," she said.
But, she added, the cheap cost and proximity of fast food is part of the problem.
"You can't argue with economics," she said.
Staff Writer Emanuel Parker contributed to this story.
bethania.palma@sgvn.com
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2236
Has anyone heard about Tesco coming to Azusa? What is Tesco like?
"While Azusa's King Ranch Market will soon close, City Manager Fran Delach said a Tesco Fresh and Easy store will be opening within 18 months."
www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_6560290
Obesity crisis hits poor
By Bethania Palma, Staff Writer
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Betty Johnson has a difficult time getting around these days.
The 79-year-old Azusa resident can't drive because of impaired vision caused by diabetes and that means she relies on the city's Dial-A-Ride program to get the nearest grocery store across town.
"It's a life-saver," she said of the program.
Azusa, like many lower-income communities in Los Angeles County, has fewer grocery stores than neighboring cities, meaning access is limited for the less mobile.
Public health experts said a lack of availability of fresh produce and an overabundance of fast-food restaurants and liquor stores is contributing to a growing diabetes crisis in lower-income communities.
"Fresh fruit, vegetables and milk still belong to the rich folk," said Wanda Grant, director of food services for El Monte City School District, in an earlier interview regarding nutrition. "They have the money to buy it, transport it and get it into the fridge before it goes bad."
Rocky Estrada, registered nurse and certified diabetes educator at Beverly Hospital in Montebello, agreed.
"If you're on a limited income, it's very easy to drive through McDonald's and fill everyone up with hamburgers and Happy Meals," he said. "It's very convenient if you have three, four, five kids."
The result of unhealthy eating habits, doctors said, is often obesity, which can lead to diabetes, a chronic disease which inhibits the body's production of the hormone insulin that allows it to process sugar.
Dr. Shafiq Shamsid-Deen, primary care physician at the Azusa Health Center, said easy access to the wrong foods can lead to larger medical issues down the road.
Within 10 to 20 years, he said, he expects to see people in their 30s suffering the long-term consequences of the disease, which can include kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes.
"From First (Street) all the way to the Ranch Market (in Azusa), you'll pass at least a dozen restaurants and fast-food places just to get to a supermarket," he said. "If (residents) don't have access to the healthier food, it makes it very difficult for the community to serve itself nutritionally."
Grant said parents with limited time, funds and transportation are often left with little choice on food for hungry children.
Often, she said, low-income families don't own cars needed to get to grocery stores in other neighborhoods.
Grant said she counted 17 fast-food, liquor stores or restaurants on a recent 2.3-mile drive to the nearest grocery store.
At Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Joanne Lamberty a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, has noticed a disturbing diabetes trend in children for the first time.
"We used to see Type 2 diabetes mostly in people over 40. Now we see it in kids as young as 7 and 14," she said.
Nutrition experts in El Monte said the city of 122,000 has few options since Vons and Albertsons closed shop several years ago.
El Monte City Manager Jim Mussenden said many residents travel to Arcadia's Albertsons to do their shopping.
"Residents have expressed their concerns," he said. "There's nothing locally that they can go to."
Economic experts and representatives of some of the larger supermarket retail chains say it all comes down to two things: economics and space. Can a community support a large supermarket, and is there room in some sections of a crowded Southern California?
Representatives from the retail grocery industry said there are various challenges in building stores in densely populated, urban areas.
Bill Greer, communications director for the Arlington, Virginia-based Food Marketing Institute, said some areas are built out and accommodating a 30,000 to 50,000 square foot store is difficult.
"There are a lot of logistical things to consider that make building stores in inner-city areas more challenging," he said.
Greer said the highly competitive nature of the industry, coupled with the high cost of building a new store and narrow profit margins make companies cautious about adding new locations.
"Supermarkets have to make a determination whether there is a sufficient customer base to make an income," he said. "The after-tax profit is about a penny on every dollar of sales."
Officials said they are trying to bring grocery stores into their communities.
While Azusa's King Ranch Market will soon close, City Manager Fran Delach said a Tesco Fresh and Easy store will be opening within 18 months.
"We've been actively trying to recruit supermarkets into the downtown area," he said.
Mussenden said El Monte is also recruiting, but nothing is definite. He added that part of the challenge is that the city is more or less built out.
"(We) continue to talk to market chains in efforts to bring in a grocery store," he said.
Lorraine Gutierrez, administrator for the Azusa Health Center, said smaller measures could do the community a lot of good.
"If we could just have a Farmer's Market, just that alone would really help," she said.
But, she added, the cheap cost and proximity of fast food is part of the problem.
"You can't argue with economics," she said.
Staff Writer Emanuel Parker contributed to this story.
bethania.palma@sgvn.com
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2236Diabetes epidemic hits L.A.
By Bethania Palma, Staff Writer
Betty Johnson has a difficult time getting around these days.
The 79-year-old Azusa resident can't drive because of impaired vision caused by diabetes and that means she relies on the city's Dial-A-Ride program to get the nearest grocery store across town.
"It's a life-saver," she said of the program.
Azusa, like many lower-income communities in Los Angeles County, has fewer grocery stores than neighboring cities, meaning access is limited for the less mobile.
Public health experts said a lack of availability of fresh produce and an overabundance of fast-food restaurants and liquor stores is contributing to a growing diabetes crisis in lower-income communities.
"Fresh fruit, vegetables and milk still belong to the rich folk," said Wanda Grant, director of food services for El Monte City School District, in an earlier interview regarding nutrition. "They have the money to buy it, transport it and get it into the fridge before it goes bad."
Rocky Estrada, registered nurse and certified diabetes educator at Beverly Hospital in Montebello, agreed.
"If you're on a limited income, it's very easy to drive through McDonald's and fill everyone up with hamburgers and Happy Meals," he said. "It's very convenient if you have three, four, five kids."
The result of unhealthy eating habits, doctors said, is often obesity, which can lead to diabetes, a chronic disease which inhibits the body's production of the hormone insulin that allows it to process sugar.
Dr. Shafiq Shamsid-Deen, primary care physician at the Azusa Health Center, said easy access to the wrong foods can lead to larger medical issues down the road.
Within 10 to 20 years, he said, he expects to see people in their 30s suffering the long-term consequences of the disease, which can include kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes.
"From First (Street) all the way to the Ranch Market (in Azusa), you'll pass at least a dozen restaurants and fast-food places just to get to a supermarket," he said. "If (residents) don't have access to the healthier food, it makes it very difficult for the community to serve itself nutritionally."
Grant said parents with limited time, funds and transportation are often left with little choice on food for hungry children.
Often, she said, low-income families don't own cars needed to get to grocery stores in other neighborhoods.
Grant said she counted 17 fast-food, liquor stores or restaurants on a recent 2.3-mile drive to the nearest grocery store.
At Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Joanne Lamberty a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator, has noticed a disturbing diabetes trend in children for the first time.
"We used to see Type 2 diabetes mostly in people over 40. Now we see it in kids as young as 7 and 14," she said.
Nutrition experts in El Monte said the city of 122,000 has few options since Vons and Albertsons closed shop several years ago.
El Monte City Manager Jim Mussenden said many residents travel to Arcadia's Albertsons to do their shopping.
"Residents have expressed their concerns," he said. "There's nothing locally that they can go to."
Economic experts and representatives of some of the larger supermarket retail chains say it all comes down to two things: economics and space. Can a community support a large supermarket, and is there room in some sections of a crowded Southern California?
Representatives from the retail grocery industry said there are various challenges in building stores in densely populated, urban areas.
Bill Greer, communications director for the Arlington, Virginia-based Food Marketing Institute, said some areas are built out and accommodating a 30,000 to 50,000 square foot store is difficult.
"There are a lot of logistical things to consider that make building stores in inner-city areas more challenging," he said.
Greer said the highly competitive nature of the industry, coupled with the high cost of building a new store and narrow profit margins make companies cautious about adding new locations.
"Supermarkets have to make a determination whether there is a sufficient customer base to make an income," he said. "The after-tax profit is about a penny on every dollar of sales."
Officials said they are trying to bring grocery stores into their communities.
While Azusa's King Ranch Market will soon close, City Manager Fran Delach said a Tesco Fresh and Easy store will be opening within 18 months.
"We've been actively trying to recruit supermarkets into the downtown area," he said.
Mussenden said El Monte is also recruiting, but nothing is definite. He added that part of the challenge is that the city is more or less built out.
"(We) continue to talk to market chains in efforts to bring in a grocery store," he said.
Lorraine Gutierrez, administrator for the Azusa Health Center, said smaller measures could do the community a lot of good.
"If we could just have a Farmer's Market, just that alone would really help," she said.
But, she added, the cheap cost and proximity of fast food is part of the problem.
"You can't argue with economics," she said.
Staff Writer Emanuel Parker contributed to this story.
bethania.palma@sgvn.com
(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2236