Much has been said about food deserts, and you’ve likely heard about the problem on your local news channel or online. But what is a food desert, where do they occur, and what effects do they have? We’ll explore these questions and more below as we examine the problem and its potential solutions.

What Is a Food Desert? 

If you hear the term “food desert” and picture a vast, sandy landscape with no vegetation or civilization, you need to think a little closer to home. Food deserts exist right here in the US, and there are likely some in the state where you live. The USDA defines two primary variations:

1. Low-income urban neighborhoods where most people live at least a mile from the nearest source of fresh foods (such as a grocery store)

2. Low-income rural regions where most people live at least ten miles from the nearest source of fresh foods

Two related terms, food swamps and food insecurity, also factor into this discussion. 

What Is a Food Swamp?

A food swamp refers to an urban area where fresh food options may be present, but they are greatly outnumbered by over-processed food sources such as fast food and corner stores. Someone who lives in a food swamp may have plenty of food access but struggle with nutrition. Such an environment can lead to increased instances of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other diet-related health problems.

What Is Food Insecurity?

Food insecurity occurs when people don’t have enough access to food, whether fresh or processed. Unlike food deserts, you can’t easily map food insecurity by region, as the problem is economic rather than geographic. The USDA breaks this into two categories as well:

1. Low food security (formerly called food insecurity without hunger) occurs when someone gets enough food to eat, but their food is low quality, has little variety, or is undesirable. 

2. Very low food security (formerly food insecurity with hunger) describes those with disrupted eating patterns or not enough food to eat.

It’s important to note that food insecurity can exist within food deserts, but it can also happen in areas with plenty of fresh food available. It can even occur in middle- or upper-class neighborhoods as negative economic factors intrude on previously stable households. For more information on this issue, there are several helpful and informative farming documentaries about food insecurity.

Food Deserts in the US 

According to Bayer, more than 6,500 food deserts exist in America alone. Determining how many people live in food deserts is a little more complex. The USDA is moving away from using the term “food desert,” but depending on the specific measures, they note that 17.1 million, 18.8 million, or 53.6 million people in this country live in low-income, low-access areas. 

One significant problem with food deserts is that people may not recognize them. The people who live there may appear to be well-fed. Much like in food swamps, they may have plenty of access to convenience foods. This can lead to intergenerational obesity and nutrient deficiencies.

Demographics of Food Deserts 

There are several reasons that food deserts occur. These include:

• Lack of transportation – A neighborhood where most people have a car or other motor vehicle can be quite a bit further from a grocery store and still have access to it than a neighborhood where most people have no vehicle. 

• Low-Income Communities – As noted above, food deserts exclusively exist in low-income neighborhoods. Populations with a higher income can either travel to the nearest grocery store or can afford to move to an area with more options available, but those living in poverty typically have few options to solve the problem.

• Racial and ethnic disparities – A paper published in BMC Nutrition states that “minority populations across the nation need to drive a significantly greater (p < 0.05) amount of time to reach” healthy foods than white populations.

• Urbanization and land-use policies – In highly urbanized areas with densely populated neighborhoods,  space comes at a premium. Since most grocery stores take up a lot of space, it’s often too expensive for them to purchase or lease space in urban areas.

Consequences of Food Deserts 

Food deserts lead to many problems for the local population. These typically include:

• Poor diet and nutrition

• Increased risk of obesity and related health problems

• Limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables

• Dependence on fast food and convenience stores

• Economic and social isolation

Solutions to Food Deserts 

So the question becomes, how to solve food deserts and provide equal access to fresh foods to all people, regardless of their socioeconomic status? Fortunately, several solutions are at work to help fix this problem, though we still have a long way to go toward solving food insecurity and access problems.

Government Policies and Programs 

Several governmental programs have been proposed or instituted to help solve the food desert problem. 

• Tax incentives offered for grocery stores built within low-income, low-access areas help bring food solutions into the communities that need them most. 

• Increased funding for public transit allows residents to more easily access food options that are not within walking distance. 

• Government-sponsored gardens and urban farming initiatives bring food production into low-income communities where nutrition is often lacking. 

Private Sector Solutions 

The private sector is also working toward a food desert solution. Some innovative options include

• Mobile grocery stores and food trucks bring natural foods to those who need them most.

• Community-supported agriculture programs provide both fresh foods and often nutritional education to the local community.

• Vertical farming and hydroponic technology offer a way to grow fresh vegetables at scale in an urban setting, offering these communities available hydroponic produce grown in their own neighborhoods.

Grassroots Efforts 

The third piece of the puzzle is non-profit grassroots efforts to bring change to urban deserts. This includes community advocacy and organizing, and local food co-ops and community markets that make nutritious food more accessible to communities that need it.

As the food access problem continues to grow post-pandemic, communities across the country and around the world are struggling to access nutritious diets. Current problems with inflation and food shortages are only exacerbating the issue. 

Fortunately, there is great potential for solutions to address food deserts and create a more equitable food system. For this reason, we should all be working toward a more equitable distribution of food, supporting policies that discourage food deserts, and promoting education and community initiatives to bring healthy foods into areas currently saturated by fast food and poor nutrition.

If you are in a position to offer fresh groceries to such areas, contact Eden Green Technologies to see how our vertical hydroponic farms can provide your brand with high-end private-label veggies and salads at an affordable price.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General:

What Is a Food Desert?

A food desert is an area where residents have little access to fresh foods. They can be urban or rural and are typically low-income areas.

What Is an Example of a Food Desert?

A good example of a food desert would be a densely populated urban area where the nearest grocery store is ten miles away, and few residents own vehicles. In this case, most people are left with whatever convenience foods are available nearby – typically meals from fast food restaurants and convenience stores.

Why Are Food Deserts a Problem?

Food deserts make it difficult for residents to access healthy foods and proper nutrition. They often lead to health problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and vitamin deficiencies. 

How Do You Know if You Live in a Food Desert?

If you live in a low-income neighborhood with no nearby grocery stores, you likely live in a food desert.

What Are the Causes of Food Deserts?

Food deserts are created when low-income areas with little access to transportation have limited access to food retailers that provide fresh foods at affordable prices. 

When Did Food Deserts Begin in America?

The rise of food deserts in the US can be traced to the 1990s when small, privately owned grocery stores were increasingly priced out of the marketplace by large grocery chains. These smaller stores were often found in urban settings or small rural towns, and when they closed down, the larger chains did not move into these areas to fill the void. 

The term was first coined in 1995 by the Scottish Nutrition Task Force. The USDA did not begin mapping food access until 2009.

Location-specific:

What US State Has the Most Food?

Currently, California produces the most food in the US, followed by Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, and Illinois.

What City Has the Most Food Deserts?

According to USA Facts, Memphis, TN is the urban center with the most people living in food deserts. 

How Common Are Food Deserts in the US?

Depending on the way you measure it, up to 17.4% of the US population lives in a food desert to some degree. That’s more than one out of every six Americans.

What State Has the Largest Food Desert?

While it’s difficult to determine the largest food desert due to the varying ways to measure it, the state with the most food insecurity is Mississippi, with a score of 33.5 on a 1-50 scale.

Solutions:

How Can We Solve Food Deserts?

We need governmental, private, and grassroots support to solve this complex problem. We will need to bring grocery stores back into neighborhoods where they are missing, offer better public transportation to get people to and from the market and implement ways to grow fresh food closer to the consumers who eat it.

Why Is It Important to Eliminate Food Deserts?

Food deserts promote malnutrition and first-world health problems such as obesity and heart disease. These health outcomes are often debilitating and pass down from generation to generation, spreading throughout the entire community and causing significant public health challenges, often leading to death. 

Food/eating:

How Do You Eat Healthy in a Food Desert?

While it’s certainly more challenging, eating healthy in a food desert is often still possible. Consider planting your own container garden with fresh fruits and vegetables. Start a small co-op within your neighborhood, where residents take turns making a trip to the closest grocery store and shopping for the entire community. Opt for frozen produce that won’t go bad quickly but still contains plenty of nutrients and load up on pantry staples like nuts, oats, seeds, dried beans, and lentils. Finally, learn to preserve your own food. Canning and other preservation methods are actually easier than you might think and they allow you to buy in bulk without worrying about spoilage.

Does America Waste a Lot of Food?

Sadly, yes. According to Earth.org, the US wastes over 100 million tons of food each year. Within the context of the global food shortage, this is an extremely concerning number that we must address. We must prioritize preventing food waste if we want to be good global citizens.

Why Does America Throw Away So Much Food?

Many factors contribute to food waste. Many Americans are overly concerned with the aesthetics of their food, meaning that they won’t purchase or use produce deemed “imperfect” even if there’s nothing wrong with it. Another significant source of food waste relates to food recalls and contamination. Still, other causes of food waste include fad diets, grocery stores that overstock shelves, foods sold in bulk that can’t reasonably be used before they go bad, and oversized restaurant portions.

Why Is Food More Expensive in Food Deserts?

In urban food deserts, space is often at a premium. This means that stores have to pay more to lease their space, often passing these expenses on to consumers by raising prices. In rural areas, the problem is usually one of distribution and transportation. These stores have to ship foods in, often from far away, and again these expenses are passed on to the consumer through higher prices.

Demographics:

Do Natives Live in Food Deserts?

Yes, a lack of access to healthy foods and poor nutrition are significant problems among Native American communities. 

Who Most Likely Lives in a Food Desert?

Food deserts are most often populated by low-income families with lower levels of education and high rates of unemployment. These areas are frequently inhabited primarily by minorities.

How Much of America Lives in a Food Desert?

Depending on the measurements used, the percentage of the US population that lives in food deserts can be as high as 17.4%, or more than one in six Americans.

How Many Americans Live in Food Deserts?

Again, depending on the statistics used to measure food deserts, up to 53.6 million Americans live in food deserts.

What Percentage of Black People Live in Food Deserts?

McKinsey estimates that one in five black households lives in a food desert. Further, according to Feeding America, nearly 20% of black Americans lived with food insecurity.

Why Are Food Deserts an Urban Problem?

In urban areas, many residents have limited access to transportation beyond public transit options. The space in such areas is often at a premium, and crime rates tend to be higher, so large chain grocery stores rarely open locations there. 

Are Food Deserts a Form of Inequality?

Yes, food inequality is a serious health problem that encompasses food deserts, food swamps, and food insecurity, among other concerns. 

Consequences:

What Are the Potential Dangers of Food Deserts?

Some of the primary concerns related to food deserts are malnutrition, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

Do Food Deserts Cause Obesity?

Yes. When residents have limited access to fresh foods, they are more likely to consume over-processed junk foods, which leads to obesity.

Why Is Living in a Food Desert a Disadvantage?

Those who live in food deserts don’t have the same access to fresh, healthy foods, which can lead to serious and potentially deadly health concerns.

How Do Food Deserts Affect Food Insecurity?

In food deserts, healthy food is far more expensive than in other areas. This means that families often have to choose between good nutrition and having enough to eat. 

How Do Food Deserts Increase Public Health Problems?

Food deserts and unhealthy convenience foods can lead to many health conditions like obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Why Are Food Deserts an Environmental Issue?

According to the Society of Environmental Journalists, food deserts are often the first warning sign identifying larger environmental problems affecting the food supply chain.