PHOENIX (By Jon Garrido, Hispanic News and ALEC) August 2, 2006 — I am a 5th generation Mexican American born and raised in Superior, Arizona. I grew up in a 90% Mexican American community nourished by a rich Hispanic culture and heritage.

There are thousands of great childhood memories I would like to share one day but today I need to focus on food. Not just any food but the greatest food in the world — Mexican food.

As great as Mexican food is, it is a double edge sword. Mexican food has become the health villain for many Hispanics including my family and I. Mexican food made with plenty of lard in our tortillas along with lard in our refried beans. Plenty of yellow longhorn cheese in our beans. More lard in our tamales and tacos fried in liquid lard in our frying pans.

Among the most revered food was my grandma's refried beans that could always be found on the stove.

My grandfather came home from the copper mine each day around 3 p.m. to find daily made flour tortillas and refried beans waiting on the dinner table. Yes, there was other food. Sometimes there were tacos, sometimes round steak, but always tortillas and beans.

On special holidays there was menudo. I remember calling menudo, "Ambrosia, food of the Gods."

As I became an adult, it was I who made menudo as taught by my grandma and my mom.

For special days like Christmas, there were red chili tamales. I was very young when I started helping to make tamales in my grandma's kitchen. I lived with my mom and dad just down the street but all my aunts and uncles along with cousins somehow magically appeared in my grandma's kitchen.

The next to the last time I spent with my mom, I had gone home for Christmas. I bought red chili, masa and hojas in Mesa at a Mexican restaurant near Broadway and Extension.

My dad being a retired butcher took me down to the old store where we bought beef and pork meat.

I made dozens of tamales for the three of us as we enjoyed our last Christmas together. I can remember driving to see the Christmas lights as we drove in nearby neighborhoods. I also remember my dad scolding my mom because her glucose readings were too high.

My dad would say, "Carmen, I know you are hiding candy some place."

My mom was a diabetic progressing through advanced Alzheimer's. I remember my mom did not really understand for she always had that perpetual smile no matter what was said to her.

It was not until I too became a diabetic that I realized it was not candy my mom had been eating — it was too many tamales. This may sound humorous. It is not meant to be. My mom died a few months later.

Medical advances sometimes happen ever so slowly. I remember when I learned I was diabetic, the VA hospital sent me to nutritional classes on how I needed to eat.

When I made tamales for my parents, I did not know I was the cause of my mom's high glucose readings. It was too many carbohydrates coming from eating tamales.

Today, I know now food is key to glucose readings. Yes, exercise is important but it is food that is directly responsible for changing glucose levels. One tamal can increase a glucose level from a safe level of 120 to a dangerous 300. Two tamales will take anyone to 400. Three tamales to 600 into the stroke level. My mom died after suffering numerous strokes and heart attacks.

Three years ago I moved to Mesa from Scottsdale. I now shop almost daily at a Food City store which is one block away from where I live in a 65% Mexican undocumented community. There are 30% American Hispanics as I. This is as close to Mexico as you can be without actually being in Mexico. I am comfortable here for it reminds me of my hometown of Superior.

I fully understand the attraction and craving of traditional Mexican food. Food City also understands the attraction and craving of traditional Mexican food.

Food City flourishes in this market selling all the wrong kinds of food.

They stock their shelves with what Mexicans traditionally buy.

If Mexicans want to buy fried corn tortillas, there is a shelf full of fried tortillas. Not just one shelf but each manufacturer has their own section and there are many sections. If Mexicans want to buy Mexican cheese, there are shelves stocked to the roof top with every conceivable cheese known to Mexicans. If Mexicans want to buy lard, there is more than one size and label available.

Customarily young children accompany their mother as they all parade up and down the aisles. All kids stop at the ice cream section and point.

This is the same as happens in any Basha's or AJ's in any other part of the metro area. There is one significant difference — there is no fat free ice cream at Food City. There is also no fat free salad dressing. There is no fat free mayonnaise. There is no fat free pasta sauce. There are no fat free potato chips. There is no fat free Jennie O Turkey Sausage & Kielbasa. There are no frozen chicken breasts. There is no fat free.............

The list is endless. 

It is true Food City stocks what Mexicans buy. What Food City does not care to understand is given a choice, Mexicans would venture forth to buy foods that are marketed in other distinct locations. Think of Sam's or Costco with free samples given to consumers as they shop. Food City sometimes does this as well but usually only in the cheese section.

It comes down to education and marketing. Food City has a moral, ethical and fiduciary responsibility to sell nutritional food to its Hispanic consumers. Food City does not honor this obligation.

Is there really any difference in selling cigarettes? The tobacco companies thought other wise until the tobacco companies were taken to court.

I know the consequences of tobacco and fat rich food are similar. They both kill. Not immediate but in time, the result is the same — death.

Does Food City care? Not from their actions. If Food City cared about Hispanics, then it would implement a life saving nutrition education program. Is this Food City's responsibility? Basha's likes to carry the "community work badge" but Food City is the bastard child. Yet, Hispanics traditionally spend proportionally more disposable income on food than non Hispanics. Food Cities are cash cows for the owners.

Since Food City has no such education program, then the status quo will continue. And it is not that an education program will solve all health problems. The more important fact — Hispanics do not have choices shopping at Food City.

Hispanic News realizes diabetes is rampant in our community. Our mothers are loosing their legs. Our grandmothers are suffering strokes. The quality of life for each of our love ones is dramatically lacking.

Everyone in America now understands the definition of a felon. Now we need to spread the message diabetes is worse than felon — diabetes kills.

Hispanic News believes Food City has an obligation to serve its consumers and toward this end, Hispanic News begins to plan a boycott or class action law suit. Other Hispanic communities will join. Hispanic News by the miracle of the Internet is now the largest Hispanic news publication in the United States. "Google" us and discover the reach of Hispanic News. This morning, Google ranked Hispanic News number 1 of 65 million websites. Hispanic News started the Ax Boycotts of Kimberly Clark, AOL, General Motors and Lou Dobbs. The number one page at Hispanic News: AX AOL NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO TAKE LOU DOBBS OFF CNN. Our visitors come from all over America. 10,000 visitors daily are from Mexico. There are others from all over Latin America.

Yesterday, Hispanic News received an email from one of our readers: The Director of Issues, Marketing and Research for the People For the American Way and PFAW Foundation, Washington, DC.

When McDonalds and Burger King were confronted with selling high fat content food, the threat of a class action law suit turned things around.

More importantly, the court of public opinion will hear the charges against Food City. When we have finished writing this series, Hispanic News will distribute news releases though Hispanic PR Wire for distribution in Spanish speaking publications across the United States and Latin America. This is the same process Hispanic News used in beginning the Ax KC boycotts.

It may take time but time is on our side.

Unfortunately, with each passing day, thousands of Hispanics will be that much closer to be diagnosed as diabetic.

All because of food. All because of Food City.

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