Community Health Needs Assessment
Access to Healthy Food (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Environment Atlas 2006) Limited access to healthy foods Locality # Limited Access % Limited Access Botetourt 5755 19 Craig 1156 23 Franklin 12557 27 Roanoke City 13135 14 Roanoke 6222 7 Salem City 1604 7 Virginia 493435 7
In the city of Roanoke, food deserts exist in census tracts located in the MUAs of northwest and southeast Roanoke. Food deserts are defined as an area where residents are poor, lack transportation and have no supermarkets to supply healthy food choices. In Virginia there are 200 census tracts identified as food deserts, and 29 of them have been identified as having no access to a supermarket or grocery store. Four of the 29 are located in the city of Roanoke, where 100% of people have no access to a supermarket or large grocery store in census tracts 5, 11, 25 and 26.113 All census tracts border each other from northwest to downtown to the southeast side of the city. Census tracts 25 and 26 are located in the MUA of the city.
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The Roanoke Times, Food deserts parch Roanoke residents of nutrition, money,. Matt Chittum July 24, 2011
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