Nutrition Frenzy

Between the three major Southern California grocery chains — Ralphs, Albertsons and Vons — there are six supermarkets in South Los Angeles, serving a population of about 688,000. By comparison, 19 supermarkets serve West Los Angeles’ population of about 395,000.

Retailers blame theft in urban supermarkets, high employment turnover and lack of space for choosing to locate their stores elsewhere.

While farmers markets and trucks peddling fruits and vegetables have taken root in South Los Angeles, they are inconsistent and inadequate for the area’s population, Kim said.

Some cities are trying to get more supermarkets into urban areas. The state of Pennsylvania invested $30 million five years ago and got 61 supermarkets opened in rural and urban areas.

Chicago and New Orleans are considering similar programs, but legislation to bring the same assistance to California cities died in the Legislature in 2006 due to budget constraints.

The food disparity in South Los Angeles is an echo of the area’s history, marked by decades of segregation and racial strife, dating back before the deadly 1965 Watts riots.

In the state’s post-riot report, residents alleged price gouging and the sale of stale bread, rancid meat and rotten produce — complaints that re-emerged decades later after race riots erupted in the wake of the Rodney King verdict in 1992, said City Councilwoman Jan Perry.

South Los Angeles has shifted from a mostly black to a mostly Hispanic community in the last decade, with Latinos making up about two-thirds of the population, according to 2006 Census figures.

Today, fast food is king in South L.A. Nearly three-quarters of restaurants offer food on the go, compared to 42 percent in pricier neighboring West Los Angeles.

The city’s Community Redevelopment Agency estimates the area could support 14 new grocery stores and 74 more restaurants. But few businesses are biting on incentives that include hiring tax credits, 35 percent electricity discounts for a year and low interest loans.

“You throw public subsidies at them, and they still don’t come,” Kim said.

Like many residents of Lozoya’s community, where 28 percent of households live below the federal poverty line, she relies on the small corner grocery a few blocks from her home for chicken, fruit and vegetables.

Until recently, Los Compadres Market and Restaurant looked like most others. But Lozoya and her classmates gave it a healthy makeover through a grant from The California Endowment, a private health foundation that aims to create healthy communities.