Food Deserts Analysis

Food deserts are one of the biggest problems in society, as the authors of Food Justice bring up (Gottlieb & Joshi, 2010). In fact, Indianapolis is ranked worst in the nation for food deserts. So what is a food desert? A food desert is when places are left with the lack of availability of nutritious foods and high rates of poverty. Often times, these are known as grocery gaps because grocery stores move out of the area, normally located in low-income communities. It makes sense that they would move to make more profit, but it leaves those in the community left with essentially nothing. Also, most people living in a low-income community do not have access to transportation, so they cannot get to grocery stores that are outside of walking distance. This is why Gleaners, a local food justice organization, steps in and fills in places where grocery stores have left. The program that works to fix this is Mobile Pantries. As I will explore later, Mobile Pantries allows people who cannot reach grocery stores the ability to get nutritious foods they need. Mobile Pantries give people a sense of going to the grocery store and picking out healthy foods. While consumer choice is limited, as Patel mentions, Mobile Pantries still gives people healthy options (Patel, 2014). Gleaners is a part of the Food Justice Movement because while they are not changing consumer choice, they are providing individuals with the option of healthy foods and working to end hunger and obesity

Those residing in food desert communities are left with a small hand full of options when they do not have a car of their own. They have no choice but to use private cars, such as taxis, or to travel several miles on foot, or use public transit to get to healthful food stores. People without cars become dependent on food sources in their nearest proximity. In rural urban food desert areas, the distance to healthful, nutritious food access is near impossible on foot. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, approximately 2.4 million families in the United States are more than a mile from a grocery store and do not have access to a vehicle. The physical distance from full service grocery stores leaves people in these food deserts to be more likely to purchase food

What exactly qualifies a neighborhood to be part of a food desert? Food deserts usually have a bunch of blocks without a corner grocery store. In a more severe case an entire neighborhood, or a whole bunch of neighborhoods do not have a mainstream grocery store. A mainstream grocery stored would be a grocery store like a Jewel, a Whole Foods, or an Aldi, where

Food desert are urban, suburb, and rural boroughs without ready access to fresh healthy and economical food. The communities that are considered food deserts, has no grocery stores or supermarkets within a walking distance from their household. The families that live in those areas do not have access to transportation; therefore, they consume food that is accessible, which is usually processed. Most stores that people, living in a food desert, go to is convenience stores, which are usually near their households, and are accessible to some healthy foods. Another, place where many people receive their food from is fast food, and the food from those places is greasy and fattening. The lack of access to healthy food could lead to a lot of disasters,

Medicare has a thin line when it comes to covering obesity, but it seems to become harder to receive coverage. According to an overview entitled “Obesity”, it “Is a condition where the body of a mammal has stored so much energy that the fatty tissues are stored and expanding to create a significant health risk, with an increased rate of mortality to the body” (Gale Encyclopedia of Science 2014). After years of living with obesity, it can eventually be fatal, or develop more health hazards such as diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, and osteoarthritis. Mildly obese begins after becoming 20% above ideal weight. With the use of Medicare and government fundings, we can prevent food deserts, support programs needed for the people, and include psychological coverage.

In its study, Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in Chicago, the Mari Gallagher Research and Consulting Group found that, “communities that have no or distant grocery stores, or have an imbalance of healthy food options, will likely have increased premature death and chronic health conditions ” Currently the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA's) Economic Research Service approximations that 23.5 million people live in food deserts. Essentially, lack of access to affordable and healthy food options inevitably impacts the overall health of the whole family. The healthcare system suffers financially as a result of chronic health diseases which are influenced by lifestyle choices. A study conducted by Koplan and Fleming in 2000 revealed that obesity alone is estimated to cost the United States health care system $100 billion per

Yet, there are those that live in city and yet fully understand the concept of being in said desert. WSB-TV in Atlanta posted on their website in 2013 about what qualifies living in a food desert. The article states “By CDC standards, if there is no grocery store or farmer's market, and no other option within a half mile of a census block or neighborhood, that's considered a food desert.” Many people live in cities where it is difficult to travel from point A to B, and typically this means not having a vehicle of sorts to travel to the nearest store. Whether it be a lack of public transportation or private transportation, the reality that food deserts do exist is apparent when you see the struggle of families having to make ends meet when it comes to providing food for their

Low-income residents with very little access to healthy food items are commonly known as “food deserts”. Definitions of this term may very but the phrase was first used in 1990 by researchers in the United Kingdom. “Food deserts” became a popular word in the United States by 2003 to describe certain areas of Mississippi that were nowhere near supermarkets. The United States Department of Agriculture recognized “food deserts” as regions with very little access to affordable and nutritious foods, predominantly communities with low incomes. The purpose of the study is to determine problem areas in the Puget Sound region, focusing on transportation and how they aid or interfere with this access. Potential “food deserts” are immediately identified based on transportation ability, low-income residents and health conditions surrounding the area. Limited access to purchase fresh and nutritious food items can lead to poor diets and adverse health effects such as obesity, diabetes and many others. Obesity is a leading health concern with conditions existing between gender, race and economic status. Identifying certain locations with low access to healthy foods can help to develop a strategy to get rid of food deserts. Projected populations in the Puget Sound region are expected to rise another 1.7 million people by the year 2040. With this estimated growth increases the need to act quickly in addressing the problem to combat food deserts now and in the future.

Some students believed that College Park is not a food desert or should not be considered a food desert because there is access to healthy food in the area and making good dietary choices should not be a problem for students. These students contradict the social norm of college students eating out and having an unhealthy diet. There is a general belief that college students do not have financial stability, eat ramen noodles and other quick, microwavable food items, and go to fast food restaurants regularly. Academics are the main priority for college students, so some students do not have a job and primarily focus on their education. These students may receive money from elsewhere, such as family members or a financial aid refund. Students

Food deserts disproportionately affect poor communities in both rural and urban areas. Rural food deserts are additionally characterized by a lack of access to grocery stores as well as the inability to make healthy food choices due to a lack of general education. Urban food deserts, conversely,

This case study scenario describes the issue of “food deserts”, which are the areas that have limited to no access to fresh nutritional food options consisting of a population, of people whom have lack of transportation, in poverty, or have limited access to healthier food choices. The research question I would use for this study would be, Are children whom have lack of transportation, are in poverty, or have limited access to healthy foods have an increased risk for obesity, compared to those who are able to purchase healthier food options? I would have to compare the results of those participants who do have easier access to heathier foods, to determine if those variables are a cause for the “food deserts”.

Our findings do not fully support our hypotheses, due to some external factors. However, according to previous studies, we still believe that food deserts and fast food densities can affect the health status of residents in communities.

In a Policy Forum article published in PLOS Medicine, Jason Block and S V Subramanian, from Harvard University, United States, stated that the self-motivation to put an end to food deserts in low-income, geographic communities that do not have access to a large grocery store, may not have an effect on enhancing dietary quality or lessen the great difference in the diet quality.

The intersection of nutrition and access to healthy foods shows great disparities. A great example of this is the existence of food deserts in Los Angeles Although definitions of food desserts vary, in class, we defined food deserts as urban areas where there is an absence of a major grocery store within one mile of people’s homes. Food deserts are usually found in low income neighborhoods. Many Angelinos live in food deserts and resort to eating fast food or putting meals together from ingredients bought at liquor and convenience stores. Most of these ingredients are packaged, processed foods, high in sodium and low in healthy nutrients. On the other hand, resident’s other residents have abundant access to the foods they need through restaurants, farmer’s markets and grocery

In the United States, children suffer from obesity due to locations that lack healthy foods. These environments are known as food deserts and according to the CDC (2016) are one of the main reasons for childhood obesity. In lower-income neighborhoods which lack supermarkets and instead fill these voids with fast food places or corner stores that provide food high in sugar, sodium, and fats; the consumption of poor food calories adds up and lead to obesity, causing children to grow up with the same eating habits and leading to many diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Community members have taken action by making food accessibility easier through education and food programs that creates a healthy path in life. A more independent based option for healthy foods is through urban farming, controlled by one person and not the community.