[Re]Defining 'Food Deserts'

Very interesting new research from the Jerry Shannon in the department of geography on access to healthy food:

The concept of food deserts grew out of a need to describe areas with the combination of a low-income population and reduced availability of stores selling healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Online resources made available by the USDA identify food deserts by measuring the distance to the closest supermarket from each census tract. Coupled with income, if more than 33 percent of a population in a given area lives more than a mile away from a supermarket, that is considered a low-access area.

"For geographers, that definition is problematic, because the perception of distance can change-something can be far away but feel close if you have a car, for example," Shannon explained. "Access to healthy food is a question of resources and daily mobility as well as proximity."

Food deserts straddle development, politics, economics and transportation issues; one solution used in many localities has been to introduce a new supermarket or big box store into a low access area. Shannon's research and related case study suggest a different development alternative may be more effective.

One primary finding documents how low-income people access the food system and confirms that people do not only shop where they live.

Physical development of our communities dictates so much about the quality of life - of all citizens. With income disparities only growing more acute, conversations about development will be even more dominated by economic interests at the top. But understanding how development issues - and food access is certainly one - affect all members of the community (and as Shannon notes, food deserts are often invoked to support certain schemes) is more important than ever. This work, and the accompanying map, go a long way to helping make us more informed. More great work for our geographers.