what can we do about food deserts

With­in this com­plex land­scape, some strate­gies for alle­vi­at­ing food desert con­di­tions include:

• Incen­tiviz­ing gro­cery stores and super­mar­kets in under­served areas.
• Fund­ing city-wide pro­grams to encour­age health­i­er eating.
• Extend­ing sup­port for small, cor­ner-type stores and neigh­bor­hood-based farm­ers markets.
• Part­ner­ing with the com­mu­ni­ty when select­ing food desert mea­sure­ments, poli­cies, and interventions.

Full Answer

How can we prevent food deserts from becoming food deserts?

Several government bodies are now funding projects to prevent areas from becoming food deserts and to improve people’s access to food in existing food deserts. Keep reading to learn more about food deserts and how they impact health. What is a food desert? Food deserts are areas where people have limited access to a variety of healthful foods.

What does it mean to live in a food desert?

And for many Americans, living in a food desert means being unable to access food that can help them lead healthy lives. The right foods can help reduce obesity, prevent disease and provide the necessary nutrition for people to thrive.

What are some examples of food deserts?

In food deserts, healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, peas, beans, meat, and fish are often expensive or unobtainable. The lack of access to healthy foods in these communities translates to health disparities and high rates of chronic disease ( 4, 5, 6 ).

What are the benefits of exercising in food deserts?

Considering that living in a food desert can increase the risk of health issues such as diabetes, exercising can help there as well. Communities and organizations have a strong opportunity to help individuals in food deserts who may not have the resources or ability to access healthy and nutritious food.

How can we solve the food desert problem?

Community-based solutions to improve access to affordable, healthy foods in food deserts include local markets, community gardens, surplus food sharing programs, federal food assistance programs, and food pantries.

What are some changes that we can make to help with food insecurity?

Donate non-perishable food items to a local food drive or food bank. Volunteer at local soup kitchens or feeding programs to help supply those in need of a meal. Donate money to national hunger organizations or start your own fundraiser and give the money you raise to a local food charity.

How could farmers markets play a role in eliminating food deserts?

Food deserts are locations lacking traditional grocery stores, which offer constant, and affordable access to healthy foods. When grocery stores are absent, farmer's markets can meet the needs of making fresh fruits and vegetables available.

Why should we care about food deserts?

Do policy makers and public health advocates need to worry much about them? In a word, yes. Food deserts can be hazardous to your health. Living in a food desert matters a lot when it comes to a pair of serious public health issues: obesity and diabetes.

How can I help end world hunger?

Embrace Climate Smart Agriculture. Climate change and hunger exist in a vicious cycle. ... Respond to the refugee crisis. ... Advocate for gender equality. ... Reduce food waste. ... Invest in disaster risk reduction. ... Support hygiene and sanitation. ... Control infestations and crop infections. ... Enhance crops with biofortification.More items...•

How can we reduce food waste globally?

Every little bit helps.Shop Smart. Most people tend to buy more food than they need. ... Store Food Correctly. Improper storage leads to a massive amount of food waste. ... Learn to Preserve. ... Don't Be a Perfectionist. ... Keep Your Fridge Clutter-Free. ... Save Leftovers. ... Eat the Skin. ... Eat the Yolk.More items...•

How do food deserts affect education?

Food deserts also hinder academic performance. By having poor nutrition, students aren't developed properly and not prepared to perform in a high and efficient rate in school, which causes poor academic performance. Lastly, children residing in food deserts are more likely to develop type-2 diabetes.

Why is food desert a problem?

Food deserts are areas where people are unable to gain access to healthful foods. They are a major issue affecting millions of people in the U.S. and around the globe. Experts suggest that living in a food desert may put people at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and other weight-related conditions.

What two types of communities struggle the most with food desserts?

The other defining characteristic of food deserts is socio-economic: that is, they are most commonly found in black and brown communities and low-income areas (where many people don't have cars).

How can food deserts be eliminated in America?

Terms in this set (2) Food deserts can be eliminated by making nutritious food accessible and affordable. Having healthy food options in restaurants and grocery stores also helps. Eliminating food deserts can help fight childhood obesity. Choose the federal programs being described from the drop-down menus.

What makes a community a food desert?

Commonly referred to as “food deserts,” these regions of the country often feature large proportions of households with low incomes, inadequate access to transportation, and a limited number of food retailers providing fresh produce and healthy groceries for affordable prices.

In what ways can governments promote good nutrition?

Effective actions by policy-makers include: Coordinating trade, food system and agricultural policies with the protection and promotion of public health; Encouraging consumers' demand for healthy foods and meals; and. Promoting healthy nutrition across the life course.

How would you address your food insecurity in your community?

6 Strategies to Help Address Hunger and Food Insecurity at a Community Level arrow_upwardDONATE. Donations allow organizations to purchase exactly what they need. ... VOLUNTEER. Organizations need healthy volunteers who are committed to regularly participating. ... ADVOCATE. ... AMPLIFY. ... EDUCATE. ... DESTIGMATIZE.

How do I advocate for food insecurity?

Sharing our Hunger Facts page on Facebook, for example, is one of the easiest ways that you can advocate for our cause. Calling for your elected officials and telling them that you want them to do more to help people facing hunger in your community, is also advocacy.

What are some ways you might help those who are hungry in your own community?

How to Help Fight Hunger in Your CommunityOrganize a food drive.Start a community garden.Volunteer at a local food bank or pantry.Raise awareness of food insecurity by spreading the word on social media.

How do you ensure food security?

Ensuring food security requires action in multiple dimensions, including: improving the governance of food systems; inclusive and responsible investments in agriculture and rural areas, in health and education; empowering small producers; and strengthening social protection mechanisms for risk reduction.

The Health Impact of Food Deserts

Food deserts limit access to food resources, particularly healthy and culturally appropriate foods. This can have a profound and lasting negative effect on people’s lives and their health outcomes.

What Causes All of This?

There isn’t just one cause of food deserts. Let’s examine some of the different factors involved in their development.

Food Apartheid

Despite the importance of recognizing and working to combat the existence of food deserts, some thought leaders reject the term “food desert” altogether.

We All Have a Stake in This

It’s true that food deserts mainly affect people of color and people of low income. But while it may be tempting for those of us who have plenty of food to think of food access as somebody else’s problem, the deeper truth is that we’re all impacted.

Grassroots Change

Some solutions start small. Endea Woods of Boardman, Oregon, is a mother of seven. When she was raising her family, they lived far from grocery stores, and money was tight.

Large Scale Change: From Food Deserts to Food Oases

Like seeds sprouting after a good rain, all over the world, people are organizing and creating innovative solutions to provide great access to healthy food. Here are some that inspire me:

Building a Brighter Future

Putting an end to food deserts will take more than just plopping health food stores into low-income communities. It will take education, economic empowerment, access, and, ultimately, a concerted effort to address intergenerational cycles of poverty and racism.

Food swamps

A food swamp is a region that provides adequate access to healthful and affordable food, as well as an overabundance of less healthful food options.

Food mirages

A food mirage describes an area where people live close to grocery stores offering a variety of healthful foods but cannot afford those foods.

Food insecurity

Food insecurity refers to limited or insecure access to food because of financial constraints. Families and people with low incomes may not have enough money to afford healthful foods.

What causes food deserts?

When the USDA identifies a food desert, what does that area look like? The distance is key, and though more than one mile doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, transportation is often a major issue. Getting anywhere by bus can take a long time, and many food deserts are a significant distance from a store.

What are the health impacts of food deserts?

In 2016, one study took to Instagram and looked at the pictures posted in food deserts and non-food deserts. Gathering data from 3 million Instagram accounts tagged with terms like “tofu” and “chocolate,” researchers learned that the food in food deserts contained higher amounts of fat, sugar, and cholesterol compared to other areas.

What can be done?

The first solution seems to be building more supermarkets. However, studies show that simply opening more stores doesn’t actually change anything, especially when it comes to health. In some cities that add more stores, they don’t actually build them where they are needed.

Alternative solutions

Activists are exploring other solutions beyond opening stores that are more holistic and cohesive. Their ideas include stocking convenience stores and gas stations with cheaper, healthier food, because these are still more convenient for a lot of lower-income people and it’s where they’re used to going.

What Is a Food Desert? Causes, Statistics, and Resources

In a semi-rural community in the United States, a person who is working two part-time jobs and struggling to pay bills may want to purchase healthy and nutritious food. But the nearest grocery store can be miles away, and the fresh fruits and vegetables for sale may cost more than what that person can afford.

Food Desert: Definition, Causes, and Statistics

There are several resources that can help individuals who are living in food deserts obtain healthy foods. Before exploring those resources, it is important to first understand the underlying causes of this issue.

Resources for Individuals Living in Food Deserts

Although there is an increasing awareness regarding food deserts and their potential harm, developing long-lasting solutions is not easy. Still, there are actionthat can help.

Resources for Communities and Organizations

Communities and organizations have a strong opportunity to help individuals in food deserts who may not have the resources or ability to access healthy and nutritious food.

Stop Food Deserts and Ensure Healthy Eating

Dealing with food deserts across the United States is a complex issue with no easy solutions. It is difficult for communities and cities to simply build more grocery stores, develop more transit options, or find ways to help individuals generate more income to purchase healthy foods.

What are Food Deserts?

The USDA defines food deserts as an area where at least ⅓ of the population lives greater than one mile away from a supermarket for urban areas or greater than ten miles for rural areas.

Why do Food Deserts Exist?

Some of the factors that allow food deserts to exist are connected to immense social and systemic issues. Other factors suggest that food deserts are a symptom of broader supply and demand economics.

What Are the Solutions?

One solution proposed by Yale University is to allow SNAP recipients to order groceries online.