The “Garden State” is home to more than 9,000 agricultural farms and is one of the country’s top producers of blueberries, cranberries, spinach, bell peppers, and peaches. However, according to a report by the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, more than 1.2 million New Jersey residents (13.5 percent of the state’s population) are likely experiencing food insecurity, defined as the lack of consistent access to adequate food to sustain an active, healthy life. Even though nutritious fruits and vegetables may be relatively abundant throughout the state, there are still barriers that affect individuals’ and families’ choices when it comes to what foods they eat. Affordability and access to fresh produce are among the reasons that residents of New Jersey’s low-income communities, in particular, are not always able to reap what the state sows. Because of these inequalities, their health is at stake. To read the full story.