From “Cheetos” to Stuffed Zucchini: How an India-Headquartered Company is Contributing to Healthy Eating in U.S. Communities

By Niharika Chibber Joe

Several years ago, my intern from Mongolia worriedly inquired, “Why are poor people in America so fat?” The question threw me – was it even politically correct to use the words “poor” or “fat” anymore? Growing up in India, I did not recall seeing “poor” people who were “fat.” Quite to the contrary, in fact. In my experience, low or non-existent incomes in Asia meant meager calories, and hence severe malnutrition, emaciation and not obesity.

I was intrigued, and my fascination took me to the nearest Arlington grocery store, where I found -to my horror- that ten dollars got you ten TV dinners, far more than a comparable amount of vegetables or protein. Boxes and cans that listed chemistry-set ingredients as alleged food, lined shelf after processed shelf. Highly-colored, sugar-saturated liquids at 99 cents a gallon enticingly beckoned families. It became clear to me that because of the way junk food was priced families of limited means were able to stock up on potato chips, processed food and fizzy drinks for less than a fraction of what it would cost to buy fresh produce.

Numerous studies by the London School of Economics (LSC), the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and others have demonstrated that children and adults, from at-risk households , are far more likely to be overweight than their counterparts of greater means. The statistical distribution indicates that as income falls, the rate of obesity rises. In fact, according to the HSPH, “the food and physical activity choices that individuals make are shaped by the world in which they live.” The type of food that is available, costs, and marketing influence what people eat; neighborhoods and transportation systems influence people’s activity levels.

It didn’t take too many of these grim statistics to convince our team at Tata Sons in Arlington that something had to be done to address obesity – and specifically childhood obesity in America. A quick look at the 2000 census revealed that Illinois has one of the highest obesity rates in the United States, with as much as 56% of the state’s entire population being overweight or obese. We delved deeper and discovered that according to a study by the Metropolitan Chicago Information Center approximately 60 percent of Chicago’s major grocers are located on the affluent North side of the city.

Of the 40% on the South side, most are concentrated in Caucasian neighborhoods, rendering the non-white neighborhoods devoid of fresh produce. With the local 7-Eleven being the closest “grocery store” and fresh produce being a long bus-ride away, neighborhoods like Auburn-Gresham on Chicago’s south side, are “food deserts.” We knew we had our work cut out for us.

We identified Chicago as the highest-need area and got to work. In 2012, Tata Sons and the SOS Children’s Villages of Illinois established the “Wellness Garden by Tata” in Chicago’s food desert neighborhood of Auburn-Gresham. SOS Children’s Villages is the world’s largest charity dedicated to orphaned and abandoned children. In 2009, over a third of African American children nationwide were classified as obese. With nearly all of the children in SOS’ Chicago Village being African American, obesity rates run high and we knew this is where we had to start.

Through this partnership with the SOS Children’s Villages of Illinois, Tata Sons is working to create social change through health education. The Wellness Garden by Tata offers the 100 children at the SOS Chicago Village, their families and the community a therapeutic healing vegetable garden. It engages their senses and creativity by providing opportunities for healthy movement and outdoor activity with volunteers from Tata companies, while offering access to a variety of fresh produce.

Everything within the garden is cared for directly by the residents of the Chicago Village and the produce is shared with the community. In the past year, the garden has inspired healthy eating and wellness initiatives throughout the community. The families in the Village swap recipes designed to highlight ingredients grown in the garden and have even created a special cookbook featuring these recipes.

I work on the partnership from my office in Virginia, but on each visit to Chicago I am reminded of the significant, albeit small, impact Tata is making toward changing the lifestyle habits of these families. Each time I visit the Wellness Garden by Tata, the children take me on guided tours of the Garden and show off their new saplings or the latest harvest. They tell me how eating fresh vegetables is giving them “stronger muscles” and making them “smarter.” They race me to the end of the lot and giggle with glee because they are spending more time outdoors and little or no time in front of the television.

They teach me how to make new dishes using, not Cheetos or potato chips or frozen macaroni and cheese, but zucchini flowers, kale, carrots and tomatoes. But best of all, they tell me they are happy because this little vegetable garden is teaching them a lifetime of skills and has put them on the path for a healthier way of life.
Niharika Chibber-Joe is the general manager of the North American branch of Tata Sons Ltd.