The Facts
Food deserts in underserved communities has a big impact on the health of children and the community at large.
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Causes of food deserts
The causes of food deserts are multifaceted. Public policy and economic practices that are embedded in systemic racism often play a role. Social, economic, and political conditions have been shown to reduce people’s access to healthy foods.
Contributing factors include food insecurity, social determinants of health, racial residential segregation, and poor access to transportation among low-income and historically marginalized populations.
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Food apartheid
“Food apartheid,” is an emerging term meant to address the root causes of poor access to healthy, nutrient-dense foods by communities of color and low-income white people.
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For instance, the term “desert” suggests a natural, barren landscape and proposes that increasing the number of grocery stores is a quick solution. Furthermore, this term neither resonates with nor is a part of the identities of the individuals who live within these areas.
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Instead, “food apartheid” addresses the root causes of poor food environments and health disparities among predominantly low-income communities of color.
Food insecurity
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) estimates that 17.4 million American households were food insecure in 2014.
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Food security is the physical and economic access to sufficient nutritious foods by all people at all times. When this access is disrupted or limited, food insecurity occurs.
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Food insecurity may be temporary — for example, if you run out of food for a day or two — or long-term, as exemplified by persistent poverty and poor access to food.
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Food insecurity among low-income communities in food deserts is 2.5 times greater than the national average.
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Social determinants of health
Social determinants of health are factors beyond your control, such as access to healthcare or transportation, that affect your quality of life. These factors play a major role in food deserts.
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Barriers like income, community infrastructure, and access to supermarkets all influence the availability of healthy foods. Other social determinants of health that may contribute to food deserts include:
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Education
Employment and job training
Socioeconomic status and concentrated poverty
Access to healthcare
Access to local food markets and fresh produce
Access to transportation
Racial segregation
Public safety
These factors may lead to health disparities characteristic of food deserts, such as high rates of chronic diseases among historically marginalized and low-income communities.
Racial segregation
Low-income communities have a high proportion of Black and Latino populations who are disproportionately affected by poor food access.
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Robust evidence shows that racial segregation places historically marginalized populations, particularly Black people, in impoverished neighborhoods.
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In 2016, compared with the national average, Black households were two times likelier to be food insecure, while Hispanic households had a greater prevalence of food insecurity.
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Notably, 76% of neighborhoods with a high proportion of Black people were among the most impoverished.
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Transportation and proximity to supermarkets
In food deserts, the distance you have to travel to supermarkets is further than in wealthier areas. Plus, predominantly Black and Hispanic communities have fewer supermarkets and local food markets — which often offer affordable and nutritious produce — than white neighborhoods, thus, households in food deserts don’t have equal access to the healthy foods available to white and affluent communities.
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SUMMARY
Food deserts are attributed to food apartheid and have root causes in food insecurity, racial segregation, proximity to supermarkets, access to a vehicle, and various other social factors.
