Food Deserts: Monica Of The Lovvett App On How They Are Helping To Address The Problem of People Having Limited Access to Healthy & Affordable Food Options
…Work hard, think positive, and be persistent. Lovvett is a huge challenge and building a company with a purpose is our dream. I would have never thought we would start a company during the Covid-19 pandemic, such crazy and complicated times! Restaurants were closing, many were going bankrupt and a lot of food businesses would not take our phone calls, but we never gave up. We always believed Lovett was the right thing to do. From the very beginning of our journey, things were tough, we were quarantining, homeschooling both of our children and working very long hours at night, but we believed we could do it and here we are.
In many parts of the United States, there is a crisis caused by people having limited access to healthy & affordable food options. This in turn is creating a host of health and social problems. What exactly is a food desert? What causes a food desert? What are the secondary and tertiary problems that are created by a food desert? How can this problem be solved? Who are the leaders helping to address this crisis?
In this interview series, called “Food Deserts: How We Are Helping To Address The Problem of People Having Limited Access to Healthy & Affordable Food Options” we are talking to business leaders and non-profit leaders who can share the initiatives they are leading to address and solve the problem of food deserts.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Monica of the Lovvet app.
Monica has always known the benefits of conscious consumption. She spearheaded several successful marketing campaigns for industry giants like Deloitte and L’Oréal, all while living across Africa, Europe and the Americas.
Traveling taught her how to be flexible, open-minded and welcoming of new ways of life. Monica has learned a lot and hopes to show by example — for her children and for her community — that it’s possible to love what you do and live consciously at the same time.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Both Rafael, my partner in life, and I have been raised in Europe, in families where nothing would go to waste. Around 40% of food produced in the US is wasted each year. These statistics are very shocking and alarming, so we felt we needed to do something about it and try to help. Lovvett was born as a passion for food, for people and for the environment. By helping local restaurants sell their food surplus we believe we can help reduce food waste and make a difference.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
From a very early age, I was exposed to many changes, countries and different cultures. I was born in Colombia, but I grew up between Paris, New York, Buenos Aires and Kinshasa. I went to college in France, but I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to develop my career in Marketing and International Business in Mexico, Madrid, Sao Paolo, Los Angeles, Boston and now Miami. I learned how to adapt to different work environments, be flexible, open minded and do things in a different way. All of these experiences made me the person I am today.
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
Thinking outside of the box, while adapting to local practices and to different ways of doing things was a “tipping point” in my career. I started to see a positive impact in my results and a deniable change in my career. I believe when you work hard, fight for your ideas and believe in yourself great things start to happen. I encourage others to think positively, be persistent, persuasive, and don’t forget life is too short, so we might as well find joy in everything we do.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I grew up in a family of four with the thought there was nothing I could not accomplish in life if I worked hard and put my heart to it. My mom has always encouraged me to believe in myself, do the right thing and make a difference by helping others. She is an inspiration; I am everything I am today because of her and I could not be more grateful and lucky to have her in my life.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Work hard, think positive, and be persistent. Lovvett is a huge challenge and building a company with a purpose is our dream. I would have never thought we would start a company during the Covid-19 pandemic, such crazy and complicated times! Restaurants were closing, many were going bankrupt and a lot of food businesses would not take our phone calls, but we never gave up. We always believed Lovett was the right thing to do. From the very beginning of our journey, things were tough, we were quarantining, homeschooling both of our children and working very long hours at night, but we believed we could do it and here we are.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams, you will live happier because of what you did rather than regret what you haven’t tried”. I stand by that quote. I believe that fighting for your dreams makes you a happier person, it builds up your character and it makes you grow. Taking risks is an adventure, and the ride to make your dreams come true can sometimes be long and difficult, but it is worthwhile to take the risk. I try to teach my kids to follow their dreams and take chances in life, wishing and not trying is out of the question. I tell them the ending result does not matter, as long as you learn both from your success and from your mistakes.
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion about Food Deserts. I know this is intuitive to you, but it will be helpful to expressly articulate this for our readers. Can you please tell us what exactly a food desert is? Does it mean there are places in the US where you can’t buy food?
A food desert is a geographic area where access to affordable and healthy food options like fresh fruits or veggies is limited or nonexistent because grocery stores or vegetable shops are too far away. Living in a food desert area means at least ⅓ of the population lives greater than 1 mile away from a supermarket in urban areas or greater than 10 miles in rural areas, according to USDA. In the US alone, around 19 million people, unfortunately, live in a food desert area, and over 80% of counties with the highest percentage of kids at risk for food insecurity are rural.
Can you help explain a few of the social consequences that arise from food deserts? What are the secondary and tertiary problems that are created by a food desert?
Food deserts are a huge social and economic problem in the urban areas of American cities, but mostly in the rural areas. The lack of access to healthy foods many people are facing translates to serious financial issues and health consequences. Estimates show that 55% of people living in those neighborhoods are less likely to have a good-quality diet compared to those that do. They are at a higher risk of suffering from diabetes, for example. All of this culminates in billions of dollars spent in health care costs due to chronic diseases that could be prevented with healthier eating conditions.
Where did this crisis come from? Can you briefly explain to our readers what brought us to this place?
Food deserts, unfortunately, arise in communities of color combined with low-income populations that do not have the choice but to live in rural areas where healthy and affordable food is not accessible. Less disposable income combined with a lack of transportation typically leads to the purchase of fast foods and processed foods available at the corner store.
Can you describe to our readers how your work is making an impact to address this crisis? Can you share some of the initiatives you are leading to help correct this issue?
We help local food businesses reduce food waste by allowing them to sell their food surplus in our platform and we help consumers have access to fresh and affordable food options at a hearty discount (typically around 40% OFF). We are also looking to facilitate donations through our platform, and we will be soon partnering with food banks and other institutions to help in any way we can.
Can you share something about your work that makes you most proud? Is there a particular story or incident that you found most uplifting?
Owning a sustainable company with a purpose is very uplifting. At Lovvett, we work hard every day to contribute to our community and to the environment by helping local businesses reduce food waste while educating consumers on the importance of conscious consumption. Helping businesses to do the right thing while inspiring people to make the right choices while saving money and living a healthy lifestyle is part of our DNA. I am mostly proud to own a business that I like to call “The Lovvett family” where everyone works towards the same goal: put a grain of sand to leave the world better than we found it, for our children and generations to come.
In your opinion, what should other business and civic leaders do to further address these problems? Can you please share your “5 Things That Need To Be Done To Address The Problem of People Having Limited Access to Healthy & Affordable Food Options”? If you can, please share a story or example for each.
Develop farmers’ markets around food desert areas, as well as neighborhood gardens, and small-scale farms. Reducing the cost of transporting produce into rural areas can also be beneficial to help solve this issue, as well as partnering with the private sector in order to make things move and have a food system that works.
Are there other leaders or organizations who have done good work to address food deserts? Can you tell us what they have done? What specifically impresses you about their work?
When looking at census tracts with populations without a vehicle or even farther from a grocery store (20 miles or more), West Virginia ranked first in the country. Maryanne Reed and Laurie Andress from the West Virginia University School of Public Health as well as Lynne Ryan, representing the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, have been working with community partners to solve the food desert issue. They, among other people, call for a full grocery and supermarket experience for West Virginians. I am especially impressed with their work accommodating the preferences of low-wealth communities, with healthy food options that are affordable, available, acceptable, and accessible in West Virginia.
If you had the power to influence legislation, are there laws that you would like to see introduced that might help you in your work?
When we waste food, we also waste all the water, land, energy, money, labor, and other resources that go into growing, processing, distributing and storing that food. In 2018, France became the first country in the world to ban supermarkets from throwing away or destroying unsold food. Instead, it forces them to donate surplus food to charities and food banks. Large supermarkets are not allowed to throw away good quality food approaching its “best-before” date. Furthermore, the French Ministry of Ecology, Energy and Sustainable Development has required from the private sector (not just supermarkets and agrifood firms, but also companies in the hospitality and foodservice sector) to recycle their organic waste if they produce more than 120 tons of it per year. Failure to comply with the legislation could result in fines of around USD $88,0000.
I would like to see more regulations and campaigns to change businesses and people’s behaviors, more laws inspiring households to recycle their food waste instead of trashing it in order to encourage food waste reduction in Florida’s homes and nationwide.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Reducing food waste, one of the main contributors to climate change, is and will always be high on my list of priorities. We created Lovvett to make a difference, but we cannot do it alone, union makes force. Join our movement, together we can make a difference!
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Meeting the Dalai Lama would be a dream come true because he has spent his life committed to benefiting humanity, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize and for his concern for global environmental problems.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Through our website, lovvett.com or on Social Media. You can follow us on Instagram @lovvett.app, Facebook @Lovvett, Twitter @LovvettApp or You Tube.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much, and we wish you only continued success.
It has been a pleasure, thank you for having me.
Food Deserts: Monica Of The Lovvett App On How They Are Helping To Address The Problem of People… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.