What Is A Food Desert?
There are several ways to define ‘food desert’. According to The United States Department of Agriculture, food deserts are “urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy and affordable food”. The USDA can also define food deserts as “low-income census tracts with a substantial number or share of residents with low levels of access to retail outlets selling healthy and affordable foods”. Food deserts hit the hardest in Black and Latino communities. These urban neighborhoods have very high levels of poverty which make it very difficult for communities, families, and kids to afford healthy food options.
The Cause of Food Deserts
Food deserts have more than one cause. There are several factors that contribute to this situation. Those factors include income inequality, transportation, racial segregation, and COVID-19. How do each of these cause food deserts? Well, since low income people might not be able to afford a car, they usually walk or use public transportation to their closest restaurant or grocery store. Sadly, the restaurants located in low income neighborhoods are always fast food, corner stores, and convenient markets with very low healthy food options. Healthy foods that are rich in vegetables, fruits, fish, and nuts are also not an option for low-income people because they are more expensive than processed foods. It is hard to imagine that food and race would be a problem together but it is. Food deserts arise in low income communities which are typically Black and Latino. Lasty, the Coronavirus Pandemic has affected this because of restaurants, corner stores, and food markets closing down and reducing operating hours. Several families were not able to afford groceries. The food that is being sold in low income areas are high in levels of sugar, oil, salt, and artificial ingredients. This can lead to major health risks like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s.
The Solutions For Food Deserts
If one is eating poorly with no nutritious ingredients and getting sick because of it, it’s very hard to get ahead in life. We all must be made aware of this terrible crisis going on. Though it might not seem that there is hope for these communities, there is! Funding city-wide programs to encourage healthy eating for everyone would be great for parents to teach their kids to eat healthy. It is important to support the corner stores and convenience markets to provide healthier options. Another big solution is providing good grocery stores and supermarkets that actually provide healthy options in low income areas.
I’d never heard the term “food desert” previous to this. It’s sad to be made aware of this issue, but it’s definitely a topic that people need to hear more about. Knowledge of the issue is the only way to start correcting it.