From The Consumerist (h/t The Edit):

Total fast food restaurants: 377
Fast food restaurants per 100,000 residents: 147.1
Most prominent chain: Subway

Last year, the city’s State of Food Report confirmed that food deserts are created in part by a saturation of fast food restaurants in low-income areas, a crisis we’ve been reporting for years.

The report showed, for instance, that along Broadway in west Louisville and east downtown there are a total of 24 fast food restaurants in a 2.8 mile stretch, the highest concentration in the state of Kentucky.

Still, Louisville has made progress on the food justice front, in both the private sector and Metro government, most notably with the city’s “Healthy in a Hurry” corner store initiative.

And in December, former Mayor Jerry Abramson expanded that movement when he signed an executive order creating the Food Policy Advisory Council, which will work to reduce obesity in the community.

The new council will be made up of at least 15 members appointed by Mayor Greg Fischer and will include four department directors — specifically the heads of Metro Parks, Public Health and Wellness, Codes and Regulations, and Economic Development — who will serve as voting ex officio members.

From WFPL:

…Kentucky is one of eight states that has an obesity rate of more than 30-percent. The commonwealth also ranks third in childhood obesity, at 21 percent, behind Mississippi and Georgia.

The report by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, says Kentucky ranks seventh in adult obesity, at 30.5-percent.

“We have a problem, the problem is acknowledged, we did a public survey in the report, so 80 percent of the American public now understands the problem, and 50 percent or more want to invest in community-based interventions,” said Richard Hamburg, deputy director of the trust.

Earlier this month, the city’s 2010 State of Food Report confirmed the food desert crisis is still largely about a lack of access, which we’ve been reporting for years. The report says there are large food deserts in west Louisville and east downtown, where residents lack grocery stores and private transportation to get to fresh produce.

Still, those areas are densely population with fast food restaurant options:

Although West Louisville and East Downtown lack supermarkets, they have a tremendous amount of access to fast food. The report indicates that along Broadway, which runs from East Downtown to West Louisville, there are a total of 24 fast food restaurants in a 2.8 mile stretch, the highest concentration in the state of Kentucky.

Interestingly, this report even finds that first tier national supermarket chains sell lower quality goods in low-income neighborhoods.

In addition to being underserved by supermarkets and grocery stores, West Louisville and East Downtown residents also have significantly less access to a vehicle than residents of other parts of the city. In Jefferson County as a whole, only 13% of households lack vehicle access. However, 28% of West Louisville households do not have access to a vehicle and a striking 51% of households in East Downtown lack vehicle access.

And making a dent in these figures will depend in part on getting residents on food stamps connected with local farmer’s markets.

Among the many social justice groups and Metro government agencies addressing this issue, a new organization called New Roots has sprouted up. The grassroots organizations seeks to meet the needs of urban communities by improving access to fresh food for residents and create marketing opportunities in the city for regional farmers.

Check out their latest video on the food justice movement, which highlights the lack of food options in west Louisville and what they’re doing to address it.

From New Roots:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJX1AYlRA_Y[/youtube]

From time to time I’ll post place I eat, how tasty or disgusting the food, and the status of food security in Louisville. I started yesterday with a homemade lunch from my groceries bought at the Kroger on the 28th & Broadway Kroger, one of only two full grocers in a part of the city that has well over 80,000 people.

Today I ate lunch at Expressions of You coffeehouse, the only one of its kind in West Louisville. James Linton, who co-owns the place with his wife Camille, said they’re the only restaurant in the West End that doesn’t serve fried food. We’ll see if that’s true, but I’m betting he’s right.

My lunch below, hmmmmmm