CIA tackles food deserts, sustainability in Hudson Valley

HYDE PARK - The end goal of the sustainable food movement is getting people to eat healthier, both for the individual and the environment.

But on the local level, sustainability means making sure everyone is able to eat.

"What drives this is a lack of availability, supermarkets, grocery stores and transportation," said Bobby Perillo, assistant professor of culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.

Staff from The Culinary Institute zeroed in on how sustainability and the plant-forward trend have taken form in the mid-Hudson Valley. And the biggest challenges to healthy eating in the region are a lack of options in food deserts like the City of Poughkeepsie.

The presentation was part of Menus of Change, a summit looking at sustainability in the food industry that is organized by The Culinary Institute of America and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

READ MORE: Menus of Change 'moving the dial' on food sustainability 

Food deserts are regions where access to fresh, healthy food is limited for resident, Perillo said. Food deserts could be the result of a lack of supermarkets, poverty or few transportation options, limiting access food.

About one in four households in the City of Poughkeepsie are affected by food insecurity, Perillo said. The issue is typical in city centers, with Kingston and Newburgh also affected, Perillo said.

Local institutions, such as Marist College, Vassar College and Bard College, have implemented food recovery and donation programs to tackle the issue in their communities, Perillo said.

And the Culinary Institute may be joining these efforts.

To help aid with food insecurity in the region, Perillo proposed a partnership with Food Bank of the Hudson Valley to donate over production, outdated items and dented cans from the school.

READ MORE: Food truck brings farm-fresh fare to Poughkeepsie 

But the problem is about more than access, it's about knowledge.

"The people living in these food deserts don't know what to do with some of these foods," Perillo said. "Education is the key to solving that."

Geoffrey Wilson: gwilson@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4882, Twitter: Geoff_LW