Applying Racial Equity to U.S. Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs - Flipbook - Page 63
Appendix 9: Higher Food Prices in Indigenous Communities
A study conducted by the First Nations Development Institute tracked food prices in 40 Indigenous communities from December 2016
through November 2017. The food items included dairy (milk), eggs, meat (ground beef and whole chicken), fruit (apples), and vegetables
(tomatoes). Here we can see at a glance that for Indigenous communities, particularly Alaskan Natives, these common grocery items cost
much more than the national average—sometimes twice as much or even more.
Native Communities
(including Alaskan Natives)
Food
Group
Dairy
Bread
Meat
Fruit
Average Cost to
Alaskan Natives
Food Item
U.S.
Additional Amount
Additional
National Average Paid By Indigenous Average Amount Paid By
Average Cost
Communities
Cost
Alaskan Natives
Milk (per gallon)
$3.25
$4.82
Eggs (one dozen)
$1.42
$2.01
Loaf
$1.34
$2.43
Ground Beef (per pound)
$3.36
$4.35
Whole Chicken (per pound) $1.47
$2.49
Apples (per pound)
$1.30
$1.71
$1.92
$2.02
Vegetables Tomatoes (per pound)
$0.56 (148 percent)
$0.59 (142 percent)
$1.09 (181 percent)
$0.66 (129 percent)
$1.02 (169 percent)
$0.41 (132 percent)
$0.10 (105 percent)
$8.70
$3.77
$4.43
$6.27
$4.55
$2.54
$3.56
$5.45 (268 percent)
$2.35 (265 percent)
$3.09 (331 percent)
$2.58 (187 percent)
$3.08 (310 percent)
$1.24 (195 percent)
$1.64 (187 percent)
For more on this study, please see: Indian Country Food Price Index: Exploring Variation in Food Pricing across Native
Communities. A Working Paper II. First Nations Development Institute. 2018. https://www.firstnations.org/publications/indiancountry-food-price-index-exploring-variation-in-food-pricing-across-native-communities/
Appendix 10: Equity-Centered Approaches to Food Production
Equity-centered food production approaches not only focus on access to food but are intentional about ensuring that the
production process presents an opportunity to practice racial equity. Two key ways for food production processes to promote
racial equity are ensuring that the producer is a farmer/distributer of color and that the food is culturally appropriate. An
example of how this approach has been implemented can be seen on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. In an
attempt to ensure that food insecurity was addressed a racially equitable way, the reservation wanted to ensure that Indigenous
farmers had the capacity to serve the community in culturally traditional ways. Unfortunately, due to the racial wealth divide
affecting Indigenous communities, lack of capital to build the capacity to grow and distribute food is a barrier to entering the
food production process for many Indigenous people.
Fortunately, USDA designed and made available a grant to work with 20 producers on the reservation to set up businesses
to produce Indigenous foods, including wild honey, artichoke, alfalfa, free range chicken, cattle, fruits, vegetables, and various
plants. The goal of this project is to cultivate wealth for Indigenous producers, while simultaneously addressing the need for
culturally appropriate, healthy foods in areas that otherwise would have been food deserts. Working with 20 producers to
provide capital and technical assistance will enable the reservation to eventually cultivate a food hub, a farmer’s market that
will benefit SNAP recipients.
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