In the last decade or so the influx of young professionals priced out of Park Slope, Ft. Greene, and other more attractive Brooklyn locales has brought many amenities to Clinton Hill, stores and services that the neighborhood has been lacking. Myrtle Avenue is now a bona fide main drag through the neighborhood; there are restaurants that are worth a trip on the dreaded G train, coffee shops, and WiFi laundromats too. One thing that the neighborhood still lacks, though, is a place to buy inexpensive, fresh produce. To be clear, there is only one supermarket that serves the neighborhood, an Associated at Myrtle Avenue and Grand St., and it’s produce selection, according to one shopper is “not great. It could be fresher and cheaper, too.”
It’s been my experience that larger supermarkets do not have a decent produce selection. What they have is expensive, unappealing, and colorless fruits and vegetables. The best produce is to be had elsewhere, at a deli or other business that specializes in fruits and vegetables. There is no such business to be found in Clinton Hill, leading to not only a dearth of delicious produce, but also compounding the wider problem of diets high in processed fats and sugars, particularly among lower income households who do not have the time to prepare nutritious, healthy meals. Produce selection alone will not ensure that people are eating healthily, but simply not having a choice virtually ensures that people will stock up on processed junk that, while being convenient, can lead to obesity, diabetes, and other health problems.