Stringles for My Baby

This morning I packed my daughter's lunch for daycare and I found myself thinking about her food. When I was a baby, I have no idea what I ate, although my mom once informed me that she had given me pieces of a Mcdonald's burger well before I was six months old.  I grew up being the oldest of five and had a pretty good idea of what my siblings ate (because I fed them sometimes) and even some of my cousins. But, what about the world outside Mercer County, Ohio?
I'm currently am reading an amazing book by Novella Carpenter, Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer. In the book, Carpenter describes her first ten years or so of farming a vacant lot behind her urban apartment, in the "ghetto" of Oakland, California.  In one of the chapters, she describes how far away she has to go (about 30 minutes out of the city) in order to find a real grocery store. In her neighborhood, there are only small convenience stores, selling candy and sodas.  What do babies eat? Surely their parents don't feed them soda and candy, right?  And, not just in Carpenter's neighborhood alone, but those similar all over the world.
Keeping in mind the countries growing obesity epidemic, my honest answer will have to be that perhaps they do (or did) give their offspring this, not because they were too lazy to get to the store and pick up either a jar of pre-made baby food or a simple to eat banana, but because they either didn't know any better or didn't have the means of transporation.  Both issues are huge.

How can the urban population, or even those not near stores, be reached by the fresh food (even healthy food) community? It is my belief that it is the responsiblity of the farmer to do this. In the past, it would have been the marketing, but now that times have changed, I don't believe the current marketing strategies work. Going by Carpenter's example, if people in urban settings have a visual representation of a farm, perhaps their curiosity might lead to learning and learning might lead to healthier choices.  This is something that must be done, proactivity may be this country's last chance.

So, what did I pack for my daughter's lunch? I cut up some mozzerella string cheese (she can't quite handle the "string" part of it) from Organic Valley, sliced some purple grapes, and added some fresh blueberries. I wish the fruits came from my house, but it did not. However, they are locally grown.  Other than having a healthy, happy baby girl, my hope is that maybe, just maybe, the idea of using fresh fruits and veggies (or heck, anything OTHER than candy and soda) might turn on a light in another parent's head, and they will start doing the same.  I know I can't solve the problem, but perhaps I can help.