Eating Well When It Feels Like a Luxury: Understanding Food Deserts
Over 19 million Americans reside in regions devoid of easy and affordable access to nutritious, wholesome food options, commonly known as food deserts.
Talk of dieting and healthy eating is everywhere, but it's a privilege not everyone can afford.
Obesity continues to be a significant health concern in the U.S., with links to higher risks of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. While personal choices undoubtedly play a role, access to nutritious food - and the lack of it - significantly shapes those choices and, in turn, obesity rates.
Millions of Americans live in what we call "food deserts" - neighborhoods where it's tough to find fresh, affordable, minimally processed, healthy food. For many, it's a daily struggle that makes healthy eating feel more like a luxury than a basic right.
Hers dives into the world of food deserts, exploring their causes and effects, and offering practical strategies for making the most of available resources, whether you live in one or not.
Food Deserts: Not Just Barren Wastelands
Food deserts, like grocery deserts, aren't empty landscapes. What they lack is something essential: reliable access to healthy food that's also affordable.
The phrase first emerged a few decades ago as researchers started to explore how structural inequality affects food access. Today, the USDA Economic Research Service defines these areas as "low-income and low-access."
- Low-income means a poverty rate of 20% or more, or a median family income at or below 80% of the area's average.
- Low-access means at least 500 people or at least 33% of residents live more than a mile from a supermarket in urban areas - or more than 10 miles in rural ones.
A neighborhood needs to have access to a supercenter, supermarket, or large grocery store to avoid being considered a food desert.
Simply put, there's no full grocery store nearby in a food desert. And if there's no car or decent public transit, eating real, nutritious food becomes a challenge.
Food Deserts: More Than Just Geography
Studies show that food deserts are disproportionately found in low-income neighborhoods and predominantly affect Black and Hispanic communities. This isn't just a byproduct of location; it's a reflection of policies and economic forces such as:
- Gentrification
- Deindustrialization
- Disinvestment
- Redlining
- Corporate food systems prioritizing profit over access
Food deserts, therefore, aren't always just a matter of geography - they can be a manifestation of policies designed to favor certain neighborhoods and communities.
Case Study: Hartford, Connecticut
To better understand food deserts, let's look at Hartford, Connecticut, where food access issues have been extensively studied.
While the city has supermarkets and farmers' markets, they're mostly in affluent white neighborhoods. Full-service grocery stores are becoming increasingly rare in Hartford's low-income areas and predominantly Black communities.
This pattern, known as supermarket redlining, involves large grocery chains avoiding or pulling out of low-income, predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods. Specifically, between 1968 and 1984, 11 out of 13 chain supermarkets left Hartford - an 85% drop in less than two decades. More closures have followed in recent years.
This can leave thousands of people without access to fresh food.
Food Apartheid, Food Insecurity, Food Swamps: Busting the Myths
- Food Apartheid: Unlike the term "food desert," "food apartheid" highlights that these systems are created and maintained by humans. Food apartheid refers to the intentional segregation of food access, where some people have access to food abundance while others are left with scarcity.
- Food Insecurity: Food insecurity is broader and refers to individuals or families who do not have consistent, reliable access to nutritious food for a healthy life.
- Food Swamps: While food deserts are defined by the absence of healthy food access, food swamps are defined by the overabundance of unhealthy options. These communities have an abundance of fast-food chains, dollar stores, and places selling heavily processed, sugar-laden, or packaged foods.
Health Implications of Food Deserts
Diet plays a giant role in driving obesity in the U.S. Research shows that socioeconomic status and education level are two of the strongest predictors of dietary habits. Living in a food desert can exacerbate these disparities, contributing to higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Furthermore, many of the same communities are also in pharmacy deserts, with limited access to necessary medications. This creates a vicious cycle of poor diet, limited medication access, and overall poor health.
Navigating a Food Desert: Strategies for Healthy Eating
While living in a food desert presents challenges, there are ways to make the most of the resources available:
- Focus on Plant-Based Foods: If fresh vegetables are scarce, opt for frozen or canned options without added salt or sugar. For fruit, frozen choices might be more affordable and last longer.
- Seek Protein Sources: Whether it's canned tuna, eggs, or dry beans, protein-rich foods can help keep you full longer and support muscle maintenance.
- Limit Processed Foods: Choose the least-processed options you can find. Stock up on whole-grain bread or brown rice over their refined counterparts. Reach for water instead of sugary drinks for better weight management.
- Buy in Bulk When Possible: If you have access to bulk-buying, consider buying shelf-stable items like brown rice, beans, lentils, or oats. These foods are affordable, nutritious, and can last a long time.
- Get Creative with Convenience Stores: Even if you don't have access to a full grocery store, many corner stores offer affordable snacks and meal options such as hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, canned soups, or mixed nuts.
- Grow What You Can: If you have access to a community garden or space for a few pots on a balcony or windowsill, try growing your own herbs or vegetables. Small-scale gardening can help reduce your reliance on processed food.
- Find Local Food Initiatives: Some farmers' markets or urban farms accept SNAP benefits. Look for sliding-scale options or partnerships with food banks to access fresh food.
- Leverage Local Food Banks andPantries: Some food banks partner with local farms and grocery stores to provide produce, dairy, and meat. Some food banks also offer healthy food boxes or meal kits.
Solutions for Those Outside Food Deserts
Addressing food deserts requires more than just providing food. Here's how you can also help:
- Donate Surplus Food: If you have extra food, donate it to local shelters or food banks.
- Participate in Gleaning Programs: Some farms and organizations collect leftover crops to distribute to those in need.
- Support Food Banks and Local Food Pantries: Many food banks need donations and volunteers to expand their work. Consider offering financial support, food donations, or volunteering your time.
- Volunteer and Advocate for Policy Change: Support policies that address food insecurity and reduce barriers to healthy food access, such as zoning changes for grocery stores in underserved areas or supporting food justice initiatives.
Final Thoughts
Food deserts are more than just distance to a grocery store. They're a result of systems that have left many communities with fewer healthy, affordable food options. These disparities disproportionately impact marginalized communities and, in turn, affect health, education, and economic opportunity.
If you live in a food desert, don't give up on healthy eating. There are strategies you can use to make the most of available resources and promote nutrition. And if you don't live in one, know that you can help by supporting food justice initiatives and advocating for policy changes.
Check out these programs and resources working to address food insecurity and inequality:
- Double Up Food Bucks
- AmpleHarvest.org
- National Black Food & Justice Alliance
- Wholesome Wave
- WhyHunger
- Food First
- Community Food Advocates
- Healthy Food America
- Food Policy Networks at Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
- National Right to Food Community of Practice
- Chef Ann Foundation
- Roots of Change
- While diets and healthy eating discussions are ubiquitous, it's a privilege not accessible to all.
- Obesity continues to be a significant concern in the U.S., linked to higher risks of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
- Millions of Americans reside in food deserts, neighborhoods where finding fresh, affordable, minimally processed, healthy food is tough.
- 'Hers' delves into food deserts, examining their origins and impacts, and offering practical solutions for making the most of limited resources.
- Food deserts, similar to grocery deserts, lack something essential: reliable access to healthy, affordable food.
- The USDA Economic Research Service defines these areas as "low-income and low-access," with at least 500 people or 33% of residents living more than a mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or more than 10 miles in rural areas.
- In food deserts, there's no full grocery store nearby, making real, nutritious food a challenge for many.
- Food deserts are disproportionately found in low-income areas and predominantly affect Black and Hispanic communities, a reflection of policies such as gentrification, deindustrialization, disinvestment, redlining, and corporate food systems prioritizing profit over access.
- To better understand food deserts, consider Hartford, Connecticut, where food access issues have been intensively studied.
- The city has supermarkets and farmers' markets, but mostly in affluent white neighborhoods. In Hartford's low-income areas and predominantly Black communities, full-service grocery stores are becoming increasingly rare.
- The term "food apartheid" highlights that these systems are created and maintained by humans. Food apartheid refers to the intentional segregation of food access, where some people have access to food abundance while others are left with scarcity.
- Diet plays a substantial role in driving obesity in the U.S., with socioeconomic status and education level being two of the strongest predictors of dietary habits. Living in a food desert can exacerbate these disparities, contributing to higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
- To navigate a food desert, focus on plant-based foods, seek protein sources, limit processed foods, buy in bulk when possible, get creative with convenience stores, grow what you can, find local food initiatives, leverage local food banks and pantries, and participate in food justice initiatives.
- Addressing food deserts requires more than just providing food; donate surplus food, participate in gleaning programs, support food banks and local food pantries, and volunteer and advocate for policy change.
- Food deserts are more than just distance to a grocery store; they're a result of systems that have left many communities with fewer healthy, affordable food options.
