WHAT ARE THE FOOD DESERTS AND

WHY DO THEY EXIST?

https://sentientmedia.org/food-desert/

Most Americans don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. The reasons for this are complex but
one particular challenge for many communities is a lack of access to healthy foods in areas
sometimes called food deserts. Along with driving up healthcare costs, living in a food desert
also diminishes people’s overall quality of life. Some racial groups experience a greater
impact than others, especially in low-income neighborhoods where finding affordable and
healthy food is extremely challenging. Rural areas also lack large grocery stores that stock
healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains. Many residents
of these communities areas rely on small convenience stores and fast food.

A food desert is a community or region in which residents face barriers to accessing fresh,
healthy and affordable food — especially fruits and vegetables. Though the U.S. Department
of Agriculture officially stopped using the term in 2013, the term “food desert” still implies a
place in which there are no nearby grocery stores, with increasing reliance on fast food that
makes it harder to maintain a healthy diet. Food deserts can be present in both urban and
rural areas marked by geographical and socioeconomic disadvantage. In food deserts, the
nearest grocery store is far from the home and residents often don’t have access to a car. Fast
food restaurants and small corner stores are often the only nearby food option.

In the U.S., food deserts are a result of efforts to segregate U.S. cities into predominantly
Black and predominantly white neighborhoods through federal urban planning and housing
policies. However, there are many different causes of food deserts, summarized below.
In addition to the challenge of living far from a food store, families in so-called food deserts
are also less likely to have reliable transportation. Even when healthy food is available at local
stores, it can remain inaccessible to low-income families. This is due to higher expense of
maintaining diets rich in vegetables, fruits, healthy proteins and nuts. In densely populated
urban areas, limited space is available. Grocery stores, which typically require significant
space, often find it cost-prohibitive to buy or rent real estate in these urban settings.

Food deserts exist across the United States, from large cities to rural towns — and they tend
to most impact Black and brown communities. Rural areas in the West, Midwest and South

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have a high density of food deserts. However, the Northeast sees relatively fewer food deserts
due to its more compact population distribution.

Though the cumulative impact of food deserts can be hard to untangle, there are some
common concerns related to limited access to healthy and affordable foods. Studies have
considered living in a food desert to be a risk factor for having a “suboptimal diet” for older
adults with limited independence and mobility. Consistently consuming foods rich in salt,
sugar, carbs and unhealthy fats can raise the risk of diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and high
blood pressure. Easy access to cheap and unhealthy processed foods plays a role, as smaller
grocery stores and drugstores are often full of foods that are high in added sugars,
hydrogenated fats, salt and calories.

Yet the presence of a new supermarket does not always improve dietary health. And even
though many public health experts argue for specific policies that would eliminate food
deserts, researchers have found that consumers often continue to make unhealthy food
choices even when healthier food choices are more widely available. Many experts argue that
more is needed than just a supermarket. For instance, even when a few grocery stores are
available in food deserts, the healthy foods they offer may be pricier than processed
alternatives. Improving the patterns linked to food deserts requires addressing poverty and
increasing consumer education, these critics say.

In contrast to food deserts, areas characterized as food swamps may have access to healthy
food options like fruits and vegetables, yet what’s more critical is the proliferation of fast-food
restaurants, convenience stores and vending machines that primarily offer junk food, sugary
beverages and processed snacks. People who lack consistent access to sufficient food for a
healthy and active life are, by definition, food insecure. From not having enough money to buy
sufficient food to skipping meals, food insecurity is a massive challenge for public health
leaders in the U.S.

One promising approach is educating people about food deserts, as taken on by Black farmers
like Leah Penniman and Karen Washington. Rather than describe systemic injustice as a
natural phenomenon, Penniman, Washington and others explain that we could better
describe food deserts with terms like “food apartheid.” One potential policy intervention
might be for the government to subsidize retailers to enter neighborhoods identified as
lacking access to healthy food. Using mobile markets and online food delivery services can
also help communities access food in urban neighborhoods.

Addressing food deserts is a challenging task and a subject of fierce debate among
researchers. A path forward that seems to be emerging — acknowledging how this problem
is deeply rooted in larger issues like income inequality and systemic racism, which are also
deeply ingrained in our flawed food system.

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Matching Exercise

1. Legumes
2. Convenience store
3. Predominantly
4. Reliable
5. Untangle
6. Suboptimal
7. Swamps
8. Proliferation
9. Subsidize
10. Ingrained in
11. Flawed

a) To make something easier to understand by separating complicated elements

b) Imperfect or containing errors
c) A rapid increase or spread of something.
d) Below the best possible standard or level
e) Plants that produce pods with seeds inside, such as beans, peas, and lentils.
f) Consistently good in quality or performance; trustworthy.
g) Deeply established and hard to change.
h) Mostly; for the most part.
i) To financially support an activity or organization, often by the government.
j) A small retail store offering a limited selection of everyday items - open long hours.
k) Areas overwhelmed by excessive amounts of something - unhealthy or problematic.

Gap-Filling Exercise

1. Low-income communities are _________ affected by food deserts due to historical and
systemic challenges.
2. Governments could _________ grocery stores to open in underserved neighborhoods.
3. Living in a food desert is considered a risk factor for a _________ diet, leading to health
problems.
4. Some critics argue that the food system is _________ and requires major reform to address
inequalities.
5. Foods like beans, lentils, and peas are examples of healthy _________ that are rich in
protein.
6. Food _________ are neighborhoods with a high number of fast-food restaurants and
convenience stores.
7. Systemic racism is deeply _________ _________ the development of food deserts across the
country.
8. Many residents of food deserts rely on a _________ _________ for groceries, which often
lacks fresh and healthy options.
9. A _________ transportation system is essential for accessing grocery stores far from home.
10. The _________ of processed and junk food in food deserts makes it harder to maintain a
healthy diet.
11. Researchers continue to _________ the causes of food deserts to develop effective solutions.

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 ANSWER KEY
Matching Exercise

1. Legumes - e. Plants that produce pods with seeds inside, such as beans, peas, and
lentils.
2. Convenience store - j. A small retail store offering a limited selection of everyday
items, often open long hours.
3. Predominantly - h. Mostly; for the most part.
4. Reliable - f. Consistently good in quality or performance; trustworthy.
5. Untangle - a. To make something easier to understand or resolve by separating
complicated elements.
6. Suboptimal - d. Below the best possible standard or level.
7. Swamps - k. Areas overwhelmed by excessive amounts of something, often
unhealthy or problematic.
8. Proliferation - c. A rapid increase or spread of something.
9. Subsidize - i. To financially support an activity or organization, often by the
government.
10. Ingrained in - g. Deeply established and hard to change.
11. Flawed – b. Imperfect or containing errors

Gap-Filling Exercise

1. Low-income communities are predominantly affected by food deserts due to

historical and systemic challenges.
2. Governments could subsidize grocery stores to open in underserved neighborhoods.
3. Living in a food desert is considered a risk factor for a suboptimal diet, leading to
health problems.
4. Some critics argue that the food system is flawed and requires major reform to
address inequalities.
5. Foods like beans, lentils, and peas are examples of healthy legumes that are rich in
protein.
6. Food swamps are neighborhoods with a high number of fast-food restaurants and
convenience stores.
7. Systemic racism is deeply ingrained in the development of food deserts across the
country.
8. Many residents of food deserts rely on a convenience stores for groceries, which
often lacks fresh and healthy options.
9. A reliable transportation system is essential for accessing grocery stores far from
home.
10. The proliferation of processed and junk food in food deserts makes it harder to
maintain a healthy diet.
11. Researchers continue to untangle the causes of food deserts to develop effective
solutions.

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 QUESTIONS
1. What is a food desert and how it is characterized?

2. Why do grocery stores avoid opening in densely populated areas?

3. What are the main causes of the formation of the food deserts?

4. What health risks are associated with living in a food desert?

5. Which populations are mostly affected by food deserts?

6. How can online food delivery help mitigate the problem?

7. What is the difference between a food swamp and a food desert?

8. What role should the government play in addressing food desserts?

9. Do you think that the term ‘food apartheid’ is better than ‘food desert’?

10. How can consumer education be improved to encourage healthier choices?

11. How can affordability of healthy food be improved for low-income families?

12. Compare the prevalence of food deserts in the United States to your country.

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