Food Deserts
What are they?
Food deserts refer to areas, typically in urban or rural settings, where there is limited access to affordable and nutritious food. These are areas where residents have limited options for purchasing fresh fruits, vegetables, and other healthy food items. Instead, they may rely heavily on processed and unhealthy food options from convenience stores or fast food outlets. These deserts are most commonly located in areas that are poverty-stricken making it infinitely more difficult for these communities to become healthy.
What forms a food desert?
Limited Supermarkets or Grocery Stores
In some areas, there may be a scarcity of full-service supermarkets or grocery stores that offer a wide variety of fresh produce and healthy food options. This could be due to economic factors, such as low population density or lack of demand, making it financially unviable for retailers to operate in those areas. Since food deserts statistically have lower rates of employment and higher rates of poverty, grocery store owners find it less profitable to open shop here. This is called supermarket redlining and it is essentially when retailers pull their storefronts out of inner cities and underserved communities to move them to the suburbs where more people will have the physical and monetary means to regularly purchase large quantities of goods.
Transportation Barriers
Food deserts are often characterized by limited access to reliable transportation. Since many food deserts are located in rural areas, public transportation is inadequate and vehicle ownership is not common. Without a car or convenient public transportation options, residents may find it challenging to travel long distances to reach supermarkets or grocery stores located outside their neighborhoods. Residents may not be willing to make this sacrifice for healthy food or it may simply be unsustainable with their other daily responsibilities.
Disproportionally Impacted Groups
Socioeconomic Factors
Low-income communities are disproportionately affected by food deserts. The lack of affordable and nutritious food can contribute to poor dietary choices and an increased risk of diet-related health issues, such as obesity and chronic diseases in low-income communities. Nationally, the typical low-income neighborhood has 30 percent fewer supermarkets than higher-income neighborhoods. With supermarkets migrating away from these communities, their access to fresh ingredients and food is declining.
However, it is important to recognize that these food deserts are not always caused by a shortage of grocery stores. Even if grocery stores were built in these low-income areas, many residents would not be able to afford the food in these stores and would opt for fast food that is often both cheaper and closer. This creates a food swamp which is when certain individuals are forced into consuming food that is unhealthy and detrimental to their health despite having stores available.
Food Apartheid
The term food apartheid is a reconceptualization of food deserts. It drives the idea that through systemic racism, certain racial minorities have decreased access to healthy foods, posing serious health risks to those communities. Society is pushing to replace the term food desert because it pushes the false narrative that these areas are naturally occurring. Contrary to this belief, food “deserts” or apartheids are directly linked to racist policies that enforce segregation and allow food insecurity to plague communities that house people of color.
The historical roots of the food apartheid lies in redlining which began in the 1930s and was the practice of shading black and brown communities in red to indicate to companies that they are less favorable to home loans, insurance, and even mortgages. By preventing black and brown families from gaining generational wealth, these policies made it possible to segregate communities based on race. Racial covenants even prevented black people from living in highly concentrated white neighborhoods.
In the 1970s and 80s, there was a period of white flight when white residents of urban communities started moving out to the suburbs. Noticing the potential for profit in these newly formed communities, grocery stores moved with them and wrote noncompete clauses for the places that they had abandoned. A large percentage of residents of low-income and inner-city areas were people of color who were left without grocery stores to feed them. Furthermore, due to the standing racial covenants, black people could not move to the suburbs and were therefore not given access to the same foods. The food apartheid is linked to broader issues of systemic inequities, including racial and economic disparities.
Health Consequences of Food Deserts
The consequences of food deserts can be severe for individuals and communities. Limited access to nutritious food can contribute to a higher prevalence of diet-related health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. People living in food deserts often do not have access to fresh fruit, vegetables, and grains, and do not have sustainable sources of protein, food groups that are essential to maintain a healthy dietary pattern. Among low-income and food-insecure communities, disproportionate access to affordable, healthy foods contributes to poor nutrition and perpetuates health disparities, leading to higher rates of obesity and other chronic ailments. Notably, Black people — who are likelier to be food insecure — have the highest rates of disease and mortality, largely related to diabetes and high blood pressure.
Since people living in food deserts are more likely to be victims of chronic diseases, they are also at risk for mental health disorders. Statistically speaking, people with diabetes and other chronic diseases are 2 to 3 times more likely to suffer from depression. To add to this, individuals that live in a food desert often suffer from chronic anxiety fueled by the harsh reality of not knowing where they will get their next meal from and of knowingly eating food with little to no nutritional value for lack of a better option.
Malnutrition can be dangerous for pregnant women. Lack of proper nutrition can decrease the strength of their immune system. Without key nutrients such as iron, folate, calcium, and zinc which are often derived from fresh fruit, vegetables, and dairy, women are at a higher risk for preeclampsia, hemorrhage, anemia, and even death. Furthermore, the babies are at a higher risk for being stillborn, underweight, and having developmental delays.
Studies show that pediatric patients living in food deserts are more likely to develop food allergies as compared to patients that live in areas where healthy food is readily accessible. This gives rise to a dangerous situation in which kids with food allergies do not have access to allergy friendly food that is often significantly more expensive.
This leads to the harsh reality of having physical access but not financial access. In some urban and rural food deserts, grocery stores are available and do sell healthy foods but they are often overpriced because there is no competition in the market. When people in these communities try to make healthy choices for themselves, it serves as a financial burden limiting their ability to continue to eat healthily.
Proposed Solutions
Increasing Access
Introducing or supporting initiatives that bring supermarkets, grocery stores, or farmers' markets to underserved areas can help improve food access. This can involve incentives for retailers or non-profit organizations to establish businesses in food desert communities. The dissolution of the noncompete clauses is integral to establishing new stores and building these healthier communities. Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure that people in the community have access to these supermarkets in the first place. In urban areas, public transportation should make supermarkets accessible and schedule the routes to these areas at a time when most working people are able to go out and buy groceries. These supermarkets should have designated aisles for pediatric allergy friendly shopping and mark down the prices of these products, lessening the burden of finding and paying for ingredient substitutions on the parents. Establishing multiple supermarkets within a 10 mile radius allows the prices of goods to drop as one supermarket does not have a monopoly on groceries in that area. With competition from other stores, mobile markets, and food delivery services, it cannot hike up its prices to unaffordable levels.
Community Gardens and Urban Agriculture
Promoting community gardens or urban agriculture initiatives can empower residents to grow their own fresh produce, improving food availability and promoting self-sufficiency. Furthermore, by specifically targeting low-income communities and concentrating the gardens in those areas, people have easy access to the food they are growing. In addition, this accessibility to fresh grown food and the involvement of the community in the gardens encourages individuals to think about the way that they are eating and consciously make healthier choices.
Mobile Markets and Food Delivery
Mobile grocery units allow multiple neighborhoods to be served at a time and are much less expensive to gain entry into and maintain, proving to be a more financially viable option for low-income communities. Mobile markets are especially functional if they make stops in areas that are easily accessible by public transport, specifically for urban communities. Subsidies for food delivery services in rural communities are absolutely essential and are more financially sound than building public transport in these areas. By making healthy food and fresh ingredients just a click away, residents of rural communities will be more likely to make changes in their lifestyles.
Education and Nutrition Programs
Once there is the availability of nutritious and healthy food, it is important to encourage citizens to take these healthy choices being offered to them. Providing nutrition education, cooking classes, and resources on healthy eating can empower individuals and communities to make informed food choices. This solution should be implemented throughout the community. Schools should offer mandatory nutrition classes that teach young children how to eat healthily and the importance of doing so. Doctors should not only explain to their patients to eat well but give specific examples and resources of where exactly they can source this food (when does the mobile market come, what grocery store is nearest by public transportation, what restaurants serve healthy dishes). Workplaces should host seminars on healthy eating and serve health-conscious dishes in their canteens.
Conclusion
Food deserts create a significant barrier to attaining optimal health for residents. Addressing food deserts requires collaborative efforts from government agencies, community organizations, and businesses to ensure equitable access to affordable and nutritious food for all residents. By tackling the underlying issues, promoting sustainable solutions, and raising awareness, we can work towards eliminating food deserts and improving the overall health and well-being of affected communities.