Food deserts in the United States
Food deserts are generally defined as regions that lack access to supermarkets and affordable, healthy foods, particularly in low-income communities[1]. According to the USDA's most recent report on food access, as of 2017, approximately 39.5 million people - 12.9% of the US population - lived in low-income and low-food access.
In urban areas, higher levels of poverty have been associated with lower access to supermarkets[2]. In addition, food access has been shown to disproportionately affect Black communities: several studies have observed that neighborhoods with higher proportions of Black residents tend to have less supermarkets and farther retail access, disproportionately affecting food security levels within the community[2].
While food deserts have historically been assessed through geographical measures of food access, aspects of a region's food environment, built environment, and socioeconomic characteristics are becoming increasingly recognized in defining and identifying food deserts[3]. The USDA measures food access across different geographical regions by considering different indicators of food access such as proximity to a store, individual-level resources, and neighborhood-level structures that influence a household's access to food[4].
References
- ^ Sadler, Richard Casey; Gilliland, Jason Andrew; Arku, Godwin (June 2016). "Theoretical issues in the 'food desert' debate and ways forward". GeoJournal. 81 (3): 443–455. doi:10.1007/s10708-015-9634-6. ISSN 0343-2521.
- ^ a b Bower, Kelly M.; Thorpe, Roland J.; Rohde, Charles; Gaskin, Darrell J. (January 2014). "The intersection of neighborhood racial segregation, poverty, and urbanicity and its impact on food store availability in the United States". Preventive Medicine. 58: 33–39. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.10.010. PMC 3970577. PMID 24161713.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link) - ^ Ver Ploeg, Michele; Breneman, Vince; Farrigan, Tracey; Hamrick, Karen; Hopkins, David; Kaufman, Phillip; Lin, Biing-Hwan; Nord, Mark; Smith, Travis A.; Williams, Ryan; Kinnison, Kelly; Olander, Carol; Singh, Anita; Tuckermanty, Elizabeth; Ver Ploeg, Michele (2009). "Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food: Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences: Report to Congress". doi:10.22004/AG.ECON.292130.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "USDA ERS - Documentation". www.ers.usda.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-17.