The term “food desert” is most often used to describe low-income neighborhoods without stores offering a balanced diet to residents, who may also lack transportation options to go shopping elsewhere. For a different set of reasons, the center of Oakland — populated by college students who are generally products of the middle class, or on their way to it — is a virtual food desert.
The kids don’t starve, of course. They manage on dorm fare, fast-food joints, cheese nachos, large coffees and the occasional fermented beverage. But because they may not have the means or time to trudge off to a full-size supermarket, they rely on the convenience of prepared foods or instant ramen purchased in bulk. Over recent decades, the economics of food retailing shifted to favor big stores with ample parking, leaving congested urban centers out of the picture. An IGA grocery on the upper level of a building on Forbes Avenue closed a few months ago. Realizing that it has to remedy prevailing market forces, the University of Pittsburgh announced this week that it will open a grocery store in a prime street-level location on Forbes Avenue, the site of a former 7-Eleven convenience store.
It’s a welcome move by Pitt. With the right mix of goods and services, the store will likely not need a subsidy to sustain the business. Even English majors not swift at math will quickly see how much money they can save by shopping for basics and cooking simply at home. The health benefits are undeniable. Habits formed in young adulthood should last a lifetime. Making it more possible for students to get into the rhythm of sharing a meal at home with friends is well within the mission of the university.
First Published: November 2, 2017, 4:00 a.m.