Food deserts exist all over the country, but they are more common in the South and Midwest. Lower-income states like Louisiana or Mississippi have a much higher percentage of residents lacking access to healthy food, compared to states like Oregon or New Hampshire.Apr 7, 2022
Food deserts are areas where access to grocery stores that sell fresh produce is difficult because of distance or lack of public transportation.Mar 20, 2018
“Food deserts” are geographic areas where access to affordable, healthy food options (aka fresh fruits and veggies) is limited or nonexistent because grocery stores are too far away.
Community-based solutions to improve access to affordable, healthy foods in food deserts include local markets, community gardens, surplus food sharing programs, federal food assistance programs, and food pantries.Jun 14, 2021
Definition of dessert 1 : a usually sweet course or dish (as of pastry or ice cream) usually served at the end of a meal. 2 British : a fresh fruit served after a sweet course. Where does the phrase just deserts come from?
Food deserts are areas where people are unable to gain access to healthful foods. They are a major issue affecting millions of people in the U.S. and around the globe. Experts suggest that living in a food desert may put people at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and other weight-related conditions.Jun 22, 2020
The use of median household income will identify the largest vulnerable population that will be at risk for residing in a food desert. By contrast, defining the low-income population as block groups in which 40% are below double the poverty level will target the populations with the lowest income.
The bleakest food deserts are the actual deserts of the American West, in Nevada and Wyoming. City dwellers, particularly those in the biggest, most dense cities tend to live closest to supermarkets and have the best food access.Jan 5, 2015
10 American Food Deserts Where It Is Impossible To Eat HealthilyThe Duwamish River in Seattle needs more Stockbox Grocers. ... The Lower Ninth Ward hasn't had a supermarket since Katrina. ... The South and West sides of Chicago are chock full of fast food, not produce. ... Half of Atlanta's many poor people live in a desert.More items...•Oct 12, 2011
“Food deserts” refer to urban neighbourhoods where residents have little or no access to stores and restaurants that provide fresh, healthy and affordable foods (Canadian Environmental Health Atlas, n.d.).Apr 11, 2021
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) generally defines food deserts as “areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet.” A food desert can be in an urban area, where only convenience and liquor stores are within walking ...May 15, 2013
Food deserts are areas where fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains, legumes, dairy, or meat, are completely lacking or prohibitively expensive. In short, food deserts are areas where families face significant obstacles to accessing healthy foods.Jul 20, 2021
These food deserts promote poor health outcomes, are a drag on our economy, and reinforce the worst effects of racism.
Food deserts limit access to food resources, particularly healthy and culturally appropriate foods. This can have a profound and lasting negative effect on people’s lives and their health outcomes. Around the world, there’s a direct correlation not just between poverty and hunger, but also between poverty and obesity.
And the more likely you are to die of diet-fueled diseases like cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and type 2 diabetes.
In central Detroit, Michigan, the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative has created an “agrihood” that provides free, fresh produce to 2,000 households within two square miles of the farm. It also supplies food to local markets, restaurants, and food pantries.
Black farming activists Leah Penniman and Karen Washington prefer the term “food apartheid.” They argue that real deserts are a naturally occurring phenomenon, while food deserts are rooted in social inequalities. Apartheid, they tell us, refers to a system of segregation and unequal treatment based on skin color, and as such, it better defines a problem that has been precipitated by long-standing discrimination at nearly every level of society — from redlining and housing discrimination to unfair working conditions and lack of access to healthy food.
Right now, more than 820 million people worldwide, and as many as 54 million Americans, are confronted with food insecurity. So long as there is grinding poverty — so long as some people struggle to eat at all — there will almost certainly continue to be disparities in health outcomes that play out along class lines.
But sometimes, even growing food can be controversial. In 2011, LA-based food justice activist, Ron Finley, got sick and tired of having to travel 45 minutes to get real food. So he decided to grow some himself. He turned the 150-by-10-foot median strip parkway in front of his house into an edible garden, growing food that he freely shared with all passersby. However, this action violated a city ordinance and led to a fine. When Ron refused to pay it, an arrest warrant was issued. Ron fought back and ultimately won in court. And his fame as the “gangsta gardener” was born.
Food deserts are areas where access to grocery stores that sell fresh produce is difficult because of distance or lack of public transportation.
What is a “Food Desert?”. A food desert is an area where getting fresh, healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are especially difficult. They can be found in urban and rural areas and often include communities of color with low income. Food deserts are areas where access to grocery stores that sell fresh produce is difficult ...
These markets are great because they expand access to fresh foods to a larger area and they address barriers like lack of transportation. Making fresh food available in under-resourced areas plays a significant role in solving the food desert problem.
For example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched the Healthy Food Financing Initiative. It equipped grocery stores, corner stores, and Farmers’ markets with the tools needed to sell fresh, healthy food. 12 In addition, numerous elected officials have worked towards changing local laws and tax codes to convince larger chains to build stores in these communities.
Studies show that high-income communities have greater access to healthy food than low-income communities. 10 Organizers, Non-profit organizations, and lawmakers have discussed many ways to address this. Introducing farmers’ markets to these areas is one strategy that has gotten a lot of attention. These markets allow local farmers an opportunity to sell their fresh produce and allow community members to buy them at prices lower than or comparable to larger grocery stores.
Farmers’ markets are beneficial because they can be strategically set up in locations where community members are likely to frequent.
Food cooperatives, specifically designed to address the barriers that contribute to food deserts, show promise in many under-resourced communities in the U.S. They operate as full-service grocery stores that sell fresh foods at lower cost or provide incentives to buy them.
According to the American Nutrition Association, food deserts are geographical areas that lack sufficient supply of fresh vegetables, fruits, and healthful, affordable whole foods. Food deserts are generally impoverished areas and they are viewed as a national crisis. Fortunately, nonprofit organizations and government initiatives are in place ...
There are difficulties that affect individuals who live in areas classified as food deserts. Due to the lack of availability of certain foods, many people are unable to satisfy their need to enjoy culturally appropriate food. People who suffer from conditions such as gluten allergies and lactose intolerance also have limited meal options. Healthy, whole foods tend to be more expensive than unhealthful fare. Often small supermarkets and grocery stores in food deserts may show a price variance that makes healthy food less desirable for people who cannot afford them. The time and travel cost of finding healthful food also make fast food a preferable option over prepared meals.
According to a National Center for Biotechnology Information article, studies show that people who live in neighborhoods where availability of healthy food is lowest are 55% less likely to enjoy good-quality diet compared to those who have better access to healthful food.
The SNAP or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program offers an average of $29 worth of food per week. According to studies, the prices of food are affected by the type and availability of stores in the area. The price of milk, for example, is notably lower at supermarkets than stores that offer limited services.
Salad Bars to Schools, for example, provided a salad bar to 3 million students and the Health, Hunger-Free Kids Act has increased funding for school meals and snacks to feed more than 50 million kids. Nonprofit organizations such as Fresh Express has also made healthful food more accessible.
The goal is to make grocery stores and retailers selling healthy food more accessible to underserved urban and rural areas across America. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, small retailers, farmer’s markets, corner stores, and grocery stores that sell health food will be equipped for this effort.
Choose My Plate is a reminder to maintain healthy eating habits by providing an easy-to-follow meal structure.
Food deserts can be described as geographic areas where residents’ access to affordable, healthy food options (especially fresh fruits and vegetables) is restricted or nonexistent due to the absence of grocery stores within convenient traveling distance. For instance, according to a report prepared for Congress by the Economic Research Service ...
Chicago – More than 500,000 residents (mostly African-American) live in food deserts, and an additional 400,000 live in neighborhoods with a preponderance of fast food restaurants and no grocery stores nearby. [22] . Some food justice activists have sought to close this gap by opening food co-ops in underserved areas where supermarkets have ...
On the national level, First Lady Michelle Obama has spearheaded the “Let’s Move” campaign to combat childhood obesity, which includes a goal of eradicating food deserts by 2017 with a $400 million investment from the government focused on providing tax breaks to supermarkets that open in food deserts. [21] .
For instance, according to a report prepared for Congress by the Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture, about 2.3 million people (or 2.2 percent of all US households) live more than one mile away from a supermarket and do not own a car. [1] .
Whatever their age, obesity puts people at a greater risk for serious, even fatal health disorders (particularly coronary heart disease and diabetes, [7] the first and seventh leading causes of death in the US respectively): [8]
Agriculture uses 60-80% of the planet’s scarce fresh water, so food production that uses none at all is nothing short of miraculous. Growing food in a desert, especially in a period of sustained drought, is a pretty counterintuitive idea and Sundrop’s horticultural breakthrough also ignores the principle that the best ideas are the simplest.
If you are of an ecological bent, Paton ’s name may ring a bell. He is the multi-honoured founder of a veritable icon of the green world, a 21-year established family company called Seawater Greenhouse, originators of the idea of growing crops using only sunlight and seawater.
Jonathan Margolis. Freelance Journalist. Jonathan Margolis is a journalist for The Financial Times, The Guardian and The Sunday Times (UK). He has been a contributor to Time as well as several other online magazines.