We can not know how Walmart will impact East New York specifically, but by looking at other urban Walmart locations such as in Chicago and DC, we can anticipate some of the implications of a Walmart in East New York. These implications would include the closing of small retail stores, a reduction in employment, an increase in traffic and congestion and further descent into poverty. Instead of looking for sustainable solutions to food access in underserved communities, we look towards Walmart to place a bandaid on the problems with our food system. We allow ourselves to be distracted by promises made by Walmart that only serve to promote their bottom line and perpetuate our industrial agricultural model that impoverishes farmers and diminishes the health of urban communities.

Walmart is trying to transform its image from being the problem with our food system to being the solution to it but as long as they need to dominate the market, Walmart can not exist within the frameworks of food justice or sustainability. The problem lies with exploitation which emerges from the desire to make an ever increasing return on capital. Some methods of increasing food access include: local farmers working with bodegas to offer fresh affordable produce, increasing community involvement in decision making processes, creating incentives for supermarkets to enter into low income urban areas and establishing partnerships that provide school students with healthy lunches and nutrition education.