An Introduction to Food Deserts

Today, approximately 23.5 million people, or 2.2% of all American households, live in food deserts (USDA). Even though food deserts are extremely common and found all over the country, not many Americans know what a food desert is or why they are a major public health concern.

What are Food Deserts?

Food deserts are areas where residents have limited access to nutritious and healthy foods (Caporuscio). Specifically, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food deserts as an area that has a poverty rate greater than or equal to 20%. Regions that are more at risk tend to be very large and have sparse populations, making companies feel as if it is futile to open grocery stores with healthy food options in these areas. Additionally, communities that are low income, have high levels of unemployment, and have inadequate access to transportation all have a higher chance of becoming food deserts (Caporuscio). If you are interested in finding out if there is a food desert near you, check out this interactive map on the USDA website.

Another defining characteristic of food deserts is that there are higher concentrations of fast-food chains and convenience stores with no grocery stores or farmer’s markets that sell fresh fruits and vegetables. Companies tend to target food deserts because of the demand for cheap and processed calorie-rich foods. Therefore, many of the residents of food deserts do not have the money, time, or resources to access fresh produce found in grocery stores, making the products offered by fast-food chains and convenience stores all that more appealing. Unfortunately, fresh produce can only be found in wealthy, predominantly white neighborhoods,

Establishment of Food Deserts

Now that we know what a food desert is, we need to also consider how they are created. The origins of food deserts can be traced back to the 1950s and can be attributed to structural racism and a phenomenon known as “white flight.” During the 1950s, a large number of middle-class white families in US cities moved away from cities to suburban areas as a way to separate themselves from people of color. As a result of white flight, many supermarkets and grocery stores only focused on expanding their reach in the suburbs, leaving little to no development in cities with low-income, minority communities. Furthermore, as these larger companies and grocery store chains started to merge in the 1980s, the remaining grocery stores in inner-city areas were shut down (Meyersohn).

While some larger companies have made an attempt to open more stores in underserved areas, the majority of supermarket chains are reluctant to expand to food deserts even today. Grocery store chains found that they would make more profit focusing on communities with a high potential for growth, like areas near college campuses (Meyersohn).

Another interesting point to consider is that the residents of many low-income communities in America have actually opposed the building of stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s due to the threat of gentrification. If those stores were allowed, housing prices in the area would start to rise as wealthier people would move to the community, forcing the current residents to be pushed into other neighborhoods with worse conditions (CNBC). A possible solution to this problem could be to support the establishment of more local markets and small business as opposed to large, well-known chain grocery stores; however, this presents a host of new challenges including the fact that it is harder for people to get loans and investments to open businesses in low-income communities.

Health Impact of Food Deserts

While there is a lot of research and information on the factors that result in a food desert, the full extent of health impacts on residents who live in food deserts is still not known. The major known health effects of living in a food desert are a higher incidence of obesity and an increased prevalence of diabetes. America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic, and the prevalence of food deserts in this country contributes greatly to the number of Americans who are considered obese (Caporuscio).

In recent years, one of the major findings in the field of obesity and nutrition research has been that individuals in minority and low-income communities are disproportionately impacted by obesity. The same populations that are genetically at increased risk of obesity and diabetes are the same populations that predominantly live in food deserts (Mitchell et al).

Typically, the cheap and processed foods that are readily available in food desserts contain high levels of fat and sugar. While residents of food deserts may be reaching recommended calorie goals, the food that they are eating has little to no nutritional value. These high-fat and high-sugar diets coupled with low physical activity rates (because of a lack of neighborhood safety and exercise resources) significantly increase the risk of developing diseases like diabetes and obesity (Mitchell et al.). Additionally, obesity can result in other health problems like hypertension, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, sleep apnea, stroke, joint pain, gallbladder disease, and stroke (CDC).

What Is Being Done to End Food Deserts?

While the issue of food deserts and food scarcity has been getting worse over the past few years — especially during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when shelves were empty for extended periods of time — several cities and non-profit organizations are making efforts to try to end food deserts in their communities. From food co-ops, which are local food distribution organizations that emphasize having access to fresh produce, to mobile food markets and bus stop markets, people are doing all they can to help increase access to healthier and more nutritious foods for people living in food deserts.

This article is meant to provide an introduction to food deserts and why it is so important to put more resources into solving this issue. We hope that this article inspired you to want to take action, and we encourage you to do a simple Google search and find non-profit organizations and programs in your city that are committed to ending food insecurity.

To get you started, here are a few organizations to get involved with by donating or volunteering!

• Food Empowerment Project (F.E.P.)

  • The Food Empowerment Project’s goal is to bring awareness to the importance of food and how the choices we make about food have an impact on our lives. F.E.P collects data on food insecurity in low-income communities and works with local groups and government agencies to encourage policy changes that will give people living in food deserts access to more nutritious foods.

• Daily Table

  • Daily Table is a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization that has opened three grocery stores that provide residents in low-income neighborhoods access to fresh and affordable produce. The organization specifically has an interest in sustainability and prides itself on hiring local residents to its stores.

• 412 Food Rescue

  • 412 Food Rescue is an organization that partners with food retailers, volunteer drivers, and other non-profit organizations to distribute surplus foods from grocery stores, caterers, and wholesale stores to families who are struggling with food insecurity. The organization also provides resources to help families learn cooking skills to make the most out of surplus foods and make new products from food waste.

Works Cited

Caporuscio, Jessica. "Food Deserts: Definition, Effects, And Solutions". Medicalnewstoday.Com, 2020, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-are-food-deserts#location.

Meyersohn, Nathaniel. "How The Rise Of Supermarkets Left Out Black America". CNN, 2020, https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/16/business/grocery-stores-access-race-inequality/index.html.

Mitchell, Nia S et al. “Obesity: An overview of an epidemic.” The Psychiatric clinics of North America vol. 34,4 (2011): 717-32. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2011.08.005

"The Health Effects Of Overweight And Obesity | Healthy Weight, Nutrition, And Physical Activity | CDC". Cdc.Gov, 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/effects/index.html.

United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. “Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences.” United States Department of Agriculture, 2009.

"Why Grocery Stores Are Avoiding Black Neighborhoods". CNBC, 2020. https://youtu.be/Rd8J-9uUnfc.