Poverty and Economic Inequalities - Food Deserts

1 Poverty and Economic Inequalities A food desert is an area where people are not able to access nutritious food. A nutritious diet comprises foods from all the food groups, limited intake of trans-fatty acids, artificial sugars, and high levels of sodium. Food deserts occur in areas where people have a low income, therefore they cannot afford healthy food or there are limited supermarkets and groceries that sell good quality healthy food in the area. Thus, people have to travel a longer distance to purchase food that meets the required quality standards. There are less food deserts in cities than in rural areas because cities usually have more stringent quality control systems that ensure that consumers get healthy and good quality products from groceries and supermarkets. Additionally, in cities, there are a wide variety of healthy food outlets to choose from.

Food deserts increase the risk of people developing diet-related illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, malnutrition and cardiovascular diseases. Children who live in food deserts are also more prone to weight-related conditions According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a food desert is a place that has a poverty rate of equal to or greater than 20%. In addition, the USDA also classified a food desert as an area where at least 30% of the population lives more than 10 miles from a grocery store.

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2 The problem of food deserts can be solved by facilitating easy access to healthful foods at across all levels of society. Policies should be implemented to ensure that the environmental, social and economic issues that cause food scarcity are addressed. Low income communities, in particular, should be supported through affordable food markets, food assistance programs and food buying clubs.

3 References Shaw, H. (2014). The Consuming Geographies of Food: Diet, Food Deserts and Obesity.

Routledge.