Template:Food Desert
Contents
Food Desert
Published: May 4, 2017
Author: April Brown
Topic editor: Andy Jorgenson
Topics: Food, Food Insecurity, Sustainability, Health, Health (Food)
Food Desert
Food deserts are areas, particularly low-income communities, where residents do not live in close proximity to affordable and healthy food retailers. Options for obtaining healthy food in these communities are hard to access or may be unaffordable. Food deserts can be found all across the US, including urban, rural, and tribal communities.[1]
In 2009, it was estimated by the USDA Economic Research Service that 23.5 million people in the U.S. live in low-income areas that are further than 1 mile away from a grocery store or supermarket. Of that population, 11.5 million are at or below 200 percent of the Federal poverty threshold. In addition, 2.3 million do not have access to a vehicle.[2]
In food deserts, fast foods or convenience foods are typically more accessible, and more affordable. Fresh produce is not typically offered or has limited availability and range in in convenience stores. This can be due to limited demand, space constraints, and perishability factors.[3]
Limited access to nutritious food has been linked with poor health outcomes, such as higher rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses.[4]
Accessibility metrics of classifying Food deserts
Accessibility is primarily measured by distance to grocery stores or by the number of stores in an area. Individual resource factors are also considered, such as family income and vehicle availability, which may affect accessibility. Public transportation availability is also factored into the measurement.[5] The USDA has released the online Food Desert Locator, which is an interactive tool that can be used to find food deserts in the US and assist in efforts to remediate their prevalence.[6]
Low-income tract
A low income tract is defined as having a poverty rate of 20 percent or greater; or the median family income is less than or equal to 80 percent of the State-wide median family income; or the tract is in a metropolitan area and has a median family income less than or equal to 80 percent of the metropolitan area's median family income.
Low-access tract
Tracts qualify as "low access" if at least 500 persons or 33 percent of their population live more than a mile from a supermarket or large grocery store (for rural census tracts, the distance is more than 10 miles)[6]
Nutritional food
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines nutritional food as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up a full and healthy diet.[7]
Implications of Food Deserts
Food deserts have been correlated with poor health outcomes in several focused studies. There appears to be a link between access to affordable, nutritious foods and the incorporation of these foods into the diet, which means less access may lead to less consumption of healthy foods in the population.[8]
Negative health outcomes are signified by high levels of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in communities within food deserts, and are attributed in part to residents buying their food from corner stores that sell processed foods, and fast food options.[1]
Obesity
The 2010 White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity wrote in a Report to the President that limited access to healthy choices can lead to poor diets and higher levels of obesity and other diet-related diseases. In addition, limited access to affordable food choices can lead to higher levels of food insecurity, increasing the number of low- and moderate-income families without access to enough food to sustain a healthy and active life.[9]
Socioeconomic Disparity
Lack of access can outweigh availability in cases of poverty. Convenience markets and fast food restaurants are generally more accessible in terms of availability and affordability in food deserts, perpetuating the socioeconomic disparities in these populations. Increasing costs to bring fresh produce to food retailers in this areas lead to healthy foods being offered at higher prices. Higher prices are reflected as limited access and further compound the issue of food insecurity.[10]
Sustainability
In order to eliminate food deserts, the populations in these communities must be able to access a range of healthy foods at a reasonable costs. Community actions such as farmers markets, urban agriculture, and produce "food trucks" have begun to answer the question of "how do we improve access in these areas?". With sustainable initiatives, diminishing the prevalance of food deserts in the United states is possible. [11]
Further reading
Know your Farmer, Know your Food Compass is an online, multi-media narrative that illustrates the USDA’s support for local and regional food systems with an interactive map of USDA-supported local and regional food activities in all 50 states. The compass contains stories, pictures and videos and can be used to navigate USDA resources for local and regional food; meet farmers, ranchers, businesses and communities in each state that are participating in local food chains, and learn about local and regional food projects across the country.
USDA. Know your Farmer, Know your Food Compass. pgs 56-62 Online. https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/7-Healthyfoodaccess.pdf (Accessed May 2017)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Office of Community Services, An Office of the Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy Food Financing Initiative., 2017. Web. 22 Apr. 2017. <https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ocs/programs/community-economic-development/healthy-food-financing>
- ↑ Dutko, Paula, Michele Ver Ploeg, and Tracey Farrigan. “Characteristics and Influential Factors of Food Deserts.” ERS.USDA.gov Economic Research Report Number 140 (2012) <https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/45014/30940_err140.pdf?v=41156>
- ↑ Yeh, Ming-Chen and David L. Katz. "Food, Nutrition, and the Health of Urban Populations." In Cities and the Health of the Public, 2006. <https://www.scribd.com/doc/59140559/Cities-and-the-Health-of-the-Public>
- ↑ USDA. “Healthy Food Access.” U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2011. pp 56-62 Web. 22 Apr. 2017. <https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/7-Healthyfoodaccess.pdf>
- ↑ Ver Ploeg, Michele et al. Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences. N.p., 2009. Web. 21 Apr. 2017. <https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/42711/12716_ap036_1_.pdf?v=41055>
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 USDA Food and Nutrition Service. Food Desert Locator. N.p., 2016. <https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to-the-atlas/>
- ↑ Centers fo Disease Control and Prevention. “A Look Inside Food Deserts.” National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2017. <https://www.cdc.gov/features/FoodDeserts/>
- ↑ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Food Desert.” Gateway to Health Communication & Social Marketing Practice 2013.Web. 20 Apr. 2017. <https://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/toolstemplates/entertainmented/tips/fooddesert.html>
- ↑ White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity. "Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity in a Generation." 2010. Web Accessed April 20, 2017. <https://letsmove.obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/letsmove.gov/files/TaskForce_on_Childhood_Obesity_May2010_FullReport.pdf>
- ↑ Ver Ploeg, Michele. “Access to Affordable, Nutritious Food Is Limited in ‘Food Deserts.’” USDA Economic Research Service. N.p., 2010. Web. 1 May 2017. <https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2010/march/access-to-affordable-nutritious-food-is-limited-in-food-deserts/>
- ↑ Flournoy, Rebecca. “Healthy Foods, Strong Communities: Bringing Fresh Foods into Low-Income Neighborhoods.” National Housing Institute. N.p., 2006. Web. 4 May 2017. <http://www.nhi.org/online/issues/147/healthyfoods.html>
Citation
Brown, A. (2017) Food Desert. Retrieved from <http://editors.eol.org/eoearth/wiki/Food_Desert>
