Why Food Deserts Exist?

The first two articles discuss the hunger-obesity paradox by using statistics, which quantifies the severity of increasing obesity rates. By doing so, the authors of the first articles identify the problem and conclude that the ineffectiveness of federal food assistance and overpriced foods lead to hunger, in which people then rely on cheaper and easier to access, calorie dense foods, and ultimately results in the increase of obesity rates among low-income populations. Since the first two articles only merely hint at the social justice issues of this academic discourse, the authors of the remaining three articles provide an in-depth discussion on the social injustices behind food deserts and re-introduce the necessary emotion and passion that hopefully moves readers to not let it become stagnant. In fact, their use of pathos intensifies the academic conversation by driving readers to understand the existing implications of the prevailing issue and of the possible implications if allowed to continue. In general, the different perspectives and contributions from all the authors, in regards to the hunger-obesity paradox, gives a small insight into the larger, more complex issue and how a comprehensive discourse is critical when attempting to arise to

Food Insecurity and food accessibility are major problems not only in rural areas but also low-income urban areas throughout the United States. The term “food desert” or an area with limited or no access to healthy, affordable and nutritious food was coined during a U.K. Study into food accessibility for those in the lowest income neighborhoods which contained no major grocery store and had the lowest rate of car ownership. This problem has come across the pond and we've seen many major grocery retailers flee from cities and move to the more profitable suburbs, what's worse is as grocery stores consolidate they leave many neighborhoods under served by convenience stores or fast food outlets. The prevalence of more processed, unhealthy

One huge problem that the United States faces today are the large numbers of food deserts. A food desert, according to the United States department of Agriculture, is a neighborhood that has a difficult time getting quality and affordable food to their home. This means that people are not properly being fed and getting the nutrition needed for a healthy diet. The good quality food that is needed to maintain this balance is not near or affordable for the people living in these areas. Food deserts affect many people across the United States, especially those that are on the lower end of the social economic spectrum and live in rural areas. Many of these low-income families do not have the means to get to the supermarket and get the right products they need so they settle for lower quality but more cost efficient foods. A great example for a food desert would be the great city of Chicago who is ranked in the top two worst food deserts in the United State according to newsone.com.

Diverse groups in American society are often the most marginalized and therefore the most vulnerable to issues that undermine the fair and uncomplicated pursuit of health and wellbeing. One of those issues is the lack of access to affordable healthy food and, in many cases, the inaccessibility to food in general. Areas where affordable and healthy foods are largely unavailable are called food deserts and the members of the diverse groups that live in such areas or that have access to very little food at all often develop a sense of food insecurity. One of the groups that is increasingly impacted by food deserts and food insecurity is the nation’s elderly population which is, by most standards, defined as those individuals aged 65 and older. The following paper investigates this phenomenon by addressing the elderly population of Ada County, Idaho as representative of this diverse and often disenfranchised population. The paper investigates the issue of food deserts and food insecurity that threaten the health and wellbeing of the elderly in the context of the various elements of social determinants of health that contribute to their development and persistence. The paper also includes proposals for individual and population-based strategies to improve access to healthy and affordable food by this population as well as improve the health and wellbeing of its members.

More than 20 million people live in food deserts, areas where at least a third of the population lives more than one mile from the nearest grocery store (10 miles in rural areas). Without a supermarket in the vicinity, food desert residents must get their meals from whatever options are around—often fast-food joints and corner stores. Burger Kings and bodegas aren’t exactly hitting the highlights of the food pyramid.

The issues of obesity and food deserts are important, and many people have questions about these topics. What makes this important though? To dig even deeper, what are the significant factors of both topics? The answer to the most pressing subject of modern times will now be determined.

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

(2009) also found that prices did not match the economic status of the region. A study within the U.S. found prices to be higher in low income areas; though, there were mixed results according to area income and race in other studies (Beaulac et al., 2009). Residents within these regions may suffer from deprivation amplification, in which the already disadvantaged are further deprived when they are located in a food desert. The last two studies reviewed were specific to the Texas region and provided a more focused look at the burdens precipitated by rurality. Sharkey and Horel (2008) looked at spatial disparities associated with rurality within a six county-rural region of Texas. They found that distance decreased with increasing deprivation, minority composition, and population density; additionally, some of the most impoverished neighborhoods with the greatest minority composition had better potential spatial access to the nearest grocery stores (Sharkey & Horel, 2008). This finding was surprising, yet, over 20% of all rural resident neighborhoods were at least 17.7 km from the nearest supermarket or grocery store and 7.6 km from the nearest convenience store (Sharkey & Horel, 2008). The close proximity of convenient stores to rural residents within this region may lead to the purchase of more

The United States has struggled with the health of their population for decades. The fight has been against an ineffective health care system with rising rates of inactivity and obesity. These two states increase the likelihood of chronic diseases from occurring. There have been many debates in the political arena on how this issue needs to be addressed. In order for a solution to be effective, we must look upstream. We must look at why people are eating poorly and why people are more sedentary than decades before. I believe the main culprit is an access issue. If people are not provided basic necessities, such as healthy foods, then no policy will be beneficial. In this paper, I will be discussing the issue of food deserts in Nevada including

Food deserts are at an all-time high in the United States. A food deserts is defined as “a location that has very little to no accesses to fresh and nutritious foods”. “People who live in these areas are often subject to poor diets as a result, and are at a greater risk of becoming obese or developing chronic diseases.” But the other major problem that needs worked on is even if there is access to fresh and nutritious foods, then why are people not choosing to eat them? To close the food deserts there have been serval states that offer to help retailers or family owned business open for business.

Food desert defines a specific urban area, which lacks affordable food or fresh selection of food such as fruits, vegetables, and meats. Research proves that a food desert does not only occur in poor communities around the world as assumed but can also be found in upscale communities as well. Specifically what distinguishes a food desert is the distance between a local grocery store and one's home residency. Food desert is occurring all over the world which results with 2.35 million Americans live in a food desert and 6.5 million children suffer from food desert community. Food desert is a serious issue that impacts individuals.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), food deserts are defined as “areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat milk and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet” (1). This occurs in communities that have little to no local supermarkets, farmer markets and grocery stores that sell healthy foods. US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported for area to be considered a food desert by measuring the distance to the nearest grocery store and the communities’ income (2). Food deserts are commonly found in urban and rural areas especially low-income neighborhoods making it difficult for them buy healthy food and eat a healthy diet. Various fast food restaurants, convenient

In the United States, millions of Americans are left hungry due to limited access to nutritional food on a regular basis. There is a vast disparity in those with access to food based on a number of factors, such as race, access to private transportation, and income. These factors all stem from one overarching idea, geography. Those without access to nutritional food originate from low-income areas that are miles away from a supermarket and they must depend on local convenience stores. The issue of food deserts therefore arise as particular areas in the US grow hungrier due to an inability to attain the high-quality food that many Americans are accustomed to.

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.

There has been growing concern and dialog regarding food deserts and food accessibility in major areas of Chicago, particularly focused in the South-Side neighborhoods of the city. Although the recent concern is a good thing, we need to look at the historical factors that have shaped these areas to find the root causes that deserve attention in order the come up with pragmatic solutions within the food justice movement. First, we will look at political issues that have shaped areas of Chicago, that are predominantly poor minority immigrant groups and African-American, through racial discrimination, unabated segregation, and areas affected by mass public school closings. Secondly, we will look at the socio-economic issues surrounding communities of non-white residents and how mass incarceration has exacerbated the situation in neighborhoods experiencing disinvestment. Lastly, negative health affects suffered by those groups that are exaggerated by the lack of fresh food availability within a community area will be discussed.