Urban Food Deserts

"The areas with the highest concentrations of single mothers and children almost always turn out to be food deserts."

The proximity of a full-service supermarket or grocery store can have a strong impact on health and food security. Communities lacking a full-service grocery store are known as "food deserts." They are most often found in lower-income communities.

 A 2002 study found that low-income neighborhoods had three times fewer supermarkets, but a comparable numbers of small grocers and convenience stores to middle- and upper-income neighborhoods. (Neighborhood Characteristics Associated With The Location Of Food Stores And Food Service Places. Moreland, Rouz, et al. American Journal of Preventative Medicine. 2002)

 There are fewer supermarkets and grocery stores in urban areas. The number of supermarkets and large grocery stores is slightly lower in high-poverty urban areas than in other urban areas. (Family Economics and Nutrition Review. USDA. Fall 1997)

 Supermarkets in low-income neighborhoods tend to offer fewer full-service departments or nonfood product lines. (ibid)

 More than 23% of low-income families who have had to use emergency food pantries report that there is not affordable transportation to get to their nearest grocery store or supermarket. (The Food Environment and Food Security. 2004. USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.)

Urban families travel farther and pay more for food than do their suburban counterparts
 When a full-service grocery store is available, the prices low-income urban consumers pay to purchase a market basket are comparable to prices at supermarkets in higher income urban areas. However, in contrast to other areas, high-poverty urban areas have fewer supermarkets and an extraordinarily high number of easily accessible, small groceries with less variety and higher prices than supermarkets. (ibid)

 City dwellers spend more time getting to and from the grocery store than do people in suburban or rural areas. (ibid)

 Urban Food Stamp participants prefer to spend the vast bulk of their benefits at full-service supermarkets, when they have access to them. (Family Economics, op cit).

Lack of access to grocery stores affects health, nutrition and obesity.
 Poor people have a higher rate of overweight and obesity, and tend to live in neighborhoods with fewer large supermarkets and more small convenience stores. These smaller stores often carry higher prices. (National Health Information Center, US Dept of Health and Human Services. 2005.)

 Children living in metropolitan areas with higher priced fruits and vegetables gain significantly more weight than children living in areas where these items are more affordable. (Metropolitan Area Food Prices and Children’s Weight Gain. Sturm and Datar. RAND Corporation, 2005.)

 Chicagoans who live in areas where grocery stores are scarce and there are many fast-food restaurants are more likely to die prematurely and at greater rates from diabetes, cancer or heart disease, the study found. Residents of such areas also are more likely to be obese or suffer from hypertension. Researcher Mari Gallagher measured the distance to the nearest grocery and the nearest fast-food outlet for every city block to calculate a “food balance” score for each community. The more a community is imbalanced in terms of food choices, the higher the occurrence of chronic health issues and diet-related deaths.

“As grocery store access decreases, obesity increases.” Gallagher said the addition of even a single grocery store in an area where there are few to none could lower obesity rates. The most disadvantaged group is African Americans, who travel the farthest to any type of food store. The areas with the highest concentrations of single mothers and children almost always turn out to be food deserts. The study is “building the case that this is a public policy and public health issue,” LaDonna Redmond, president of the Institute for Community Resource Development, said. “There has to be a comprehensive plan to restore access to underserved communities and it’s not just a matter of getting more supermarkets.”
(“Early Death Tied to Lack of Grocery Stores,” suntimes.com, July 18, 2006)