Basmagian, Little, Pooni 1

Braden Basmagian, Drea Little, Giana Pooni

Mrs. Salby

ERWC

06 December 2019

Desert in the Middle of Prosperity

Fifty-five percent of individuals who live in food deserts are less likely to have a good

quality diet than individuals that do not live in a food desert, according to an article written by

Redbook. But what is a food desert? A food desert is defined as a low income community with

no access to a grocery store more than a mile away. Food deserts put people at a disadvantage

because oftentimes they are not able to fulfill their healthiest potential. Oftentimes, individuals

found in food deserts have a higher rate of having diet-related diseases. Perhaps adding smaller

fresh food markets into smaller communities would help the socioeconomic disadvantage that

people who live within food deserts are put in. The question is how does a food desert impact a

community?
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Often times food deserts are believed to only be in poor or low-income communities,

although they can be found there, the environment can also be a factor. In locations such as

Antarctica and Alaska, they do not have full-time access to certain foods, such as fruits and

vegetables, because of the extreme

climates that persist. As further stated

in the New York Times article,

“Finding

Produce in Alaska’s Long Winter

Takes

Wiles and Luck”, during the winter

months, Alaska can be found in complete darkness. During this time fruits and vegetables cannot

grow meaning that all produce must be flown in from other places, in fact, according to the

Alaska Food Council Policy, about ninety-five percent of Alaskan food is imported. The journey

can take a week traveling 1,600 miles in a bulk container. After this long trip although the

Alaskans are getting some type of food, other than the meat that they fish and hunt food, this

food is most certainly not fresh, there isn’t enough for everyone, and it is extremely expensive,

meaning that you’ll not only be lucky if you can find it but also lucky if you’ll be able to afford

it. In other places where the low-income levels affect the scarcity of healthy and fresh food, it

may be even worse. In the article, “Food Deserts ”, by The Food Empowerment Project, it

states that in Chicago more than 500,000 residents live in food deserts and another 400,000

people live in areas where there is a large number of fast-food restaurants and little to no access

to grocery stores. In the past couple of years, the price of fruits and vegetables has gone up about
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seventy-five percent and during that time the cost of fast food has dropped more than twenty-six

percent. In lower-income communities where fast food is the only viable option for food, they

can oftentimes suffer from major health problems which can oftentimes be permanent.

Healthy food in food deserts is often not accessible for residents so their only option is to

eat unhealthily. According to Jessica Booth, the biggest health concern associated with only

eating unhealthy food is obesity. Obesity poses the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, heart

disease, stroke, cancer, and mental disorders. The effects of obesity need treatment, but access to

health care is limited in low-income communities where food deserts are located (Lee 1). People

who have health problems caused by obesity may find themselves in an unfair cycle. With no

other options for the food they need, residents of food deserts must keep eating the food that

causes them distress. They also can’t receive the health care they need because there is little

access. Furthermore, people with certain health restrictions have a hard time finding affordable

options to fit their diet. Some may be forced to eat foods that they’re allergic to, making them

sick (Booth). Food deserts not only affect individuals health but the well being of communities.

According to the article The Socio-Economic Significance of Food Deserts, low

population and lower levels of wealth are factors in making food deserts. The Evangelical

Epicenters, Service Worker Centers and Minority Central nation types correspond with these

factors. Patchwork nation describes Evangelical Epicenters as Communities with a high

proportion of Evangelical Christians, found mostly in small towns and suburbs. Evangelical

Epicenters tend to be fairly rural and with many lower incomes. Service Worker Centers are
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described to be midsize and small towns with economies fueled by hotels, stores, and restaurants

and lower-than-average median household income by county. Minority Central is reported to

have the lowest median income and have a high population of African American residents but a

below-average percentage of Hispanics and Asians. And it is these communities that have the

highest levels of households in food deserts, obesity, and diabetes. These communities are not

only doing poorly economically now, but they have also been on a downward track for some

time. They all have seen their incomes fall since 1980. Food deserts, in turn, contribute to the

community's poor economic status. PBS states, “People living in those places are not only living

in poorer places that are less healthy. They are actually getting less wealthy over time as well,

which, in turn, may make it harder to turn the tide on the health trends.” With their economic

status decreasing, it becomes increasingly harder for food desert communities to get healthy

options. According to USDA, food deserts lack large grocery stores because companies simply

don’t want to build there. The cost of building there, delivery routes, and the crime and security

concerns associated with the area. Major grocery stores not wanting to build in low income

communities makes it so that residents don’t have access to healthy options. These communities

need healthy food options for individuals health and for the well being of the entire community.

So what’s the solution for the people who have found themselves living in a food desert?
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Food deserts cause significant financial and health hardships in many different

communities across the globe. Food deserts are not completely avoidable but some solutions that

can limit the effects on a community. Farmers’ markets are very important to communities

impacted by food deserts for a variety of reasons. Not only do farmers’ markets provide local

farmers with a market to sell their fresh food, but they also provide the local residents with a way

to get fresh food with prices comparable to a

grocery store. Similar to a farmers’ market,

mobile markets are another way to bring fresh

food into a community. Mobile markets are large

vehicles like a bus or trailer that have been

stripped down and transformed into mobile grocery stores. These are very important to

communities impacted by food deserts because of the mobile markets ease of access. Providing

these impacted

communities with fresh food is only the beginning of

the end for food deserts. As stated previously, urban

residents pay between three and thirty-seven percent

more than suburban residents buying the same

products at a grocery store. Moreover, the price of

fruits and vegetables increased by about seventy-five

percent between 1989 and 2005, whereas the price of

fatty foods dropped more than twenty-six percent

during that same time frame. This has ultimately lead

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to low socio-economic residents to draw back on their healthy food and buy more fatty foods for

the sake of nourishing their bodies. Bringing health back into these impacted communities is the

biggest struggle as it is fundamental that the government gets involved. Recently, the

government has increased its involvement in minimizing food deserts. According to

mhpsalud.org, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has “equipped grocery stores,

corner stores, and Farmers’ markets with the tools needed to sell fresh, healthy food.” These

different government initiatives have shown real promise in recent years, but food deserts are far

from gone.

Food deserts lack of healthy food choices has been crucial in the decreasing financial and

health stability of impacted residents. Food deserts are not only found in impoverished

communities, but also communities that are deprived of necessary nutrients and weather to grow

fresh produce such as communities in Alaska and Antarctica. The most important aspect of

addressing food deserts is the realization that every food desert requires a unique and innovative

plan of attack. It’s always important to remember to support local community stores that provide

affordable healthy food so the community to continue to flourish.

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Works Cited

Adam. “The Harsh Reality of Food Deserts in America.” Move For Hunger, 29 Oct.

2019, www.moveforhunger.org/harsh-reality-food-deserts-america/.

Booth, Jessica. “What You Need To Know About Food Deserts.” Redbook, Redbook, 29

Apr. 2019, www.redbookmag.com/food-recipes/a27288617/food-deserts-in-

america/.

Cooper, Rachel. “The Best Farmers Markets in Northern Virginia.” TripSavvy,

TripSavvy, 26 June 2019, www.tripsavvy.com/farmers-markets-in-northern-

virginia-1038857.

Correll, Robyn. “What Are Food Deserts?” Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 11 Mar.

2019, www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-food-deserts-4165971.

Dutko, Paula. “An Evaluation of Food Deserts in America.” CHOICES,

www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/theme-articles/an-evaluation-of-foo

d-deserts-in-america/food-deserts-suffer-persistent-socioeconomic-disadvantage.
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“Food Deserts*.” Food Empowerment Project, foodispower.org/access-health/food-

deserts/.

Lee, Rebecca. “How Poverty and Location Limit Access to Health Care.” Rendia, 22

Feb. 2019, blog.rendia.com/poverty-location-limit-access-health-care/.

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Meter, Ken, and Megan Phillips Goldenberg. “Building Food Security in Alaska.”

Crossroads Resource Center, 28 July 2014.

National Public Radio. YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQeorPkPLmU.

O'malley, Julia. “Finding Produce in Alaska's Long Winter Takes Wiles and Luck.” The

New York Times, The New York Times, 20 Feb. 2018,

www.nytimes.com/2018/02/20/dining/alaska-winter-produce-fruit-vegetables.htm

l.

Peters, Adele. “Why Mobile Markets Aren't Going To Solve The Problem Of Food

Deserts.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 3 Dec. 2014,

www.fastcompany.com/3039061/why-mobile-markets-arent-going-to-solve-the-p

roblem-of-food-deserts.
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Stanger, Tobie. “Best Grocery Stores and Supermarkets.” Consumer Reports,

www.consumerreports.org/grocery-stores-supermarkets/best-grocery-stores-and-s

upermarkets/.

“The Socio-Economic Significance of Food Deserts.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service,

29 June 2011, www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/the-socio-economic-significance-of-

food-deserts.