Food Desert Problem

The term “food desert” was first used in the later twentieth century by a resident of Scotland who was attempting “to capture the experience of what it was like to live in a deprived neighborhood where food was expensive and relatively unavailable” (Cummins and MacIntyre 2002: 2,115). In Baltimore, the food desert is a low-income neighborhood that lacks food retail outlets, may serve to explain the higher prevalence of diet-related disease among low-income individuals (Braveman et al. 2010). In addition, ease of access affects dietary quality: food stamp recipients who reside near supermarkets exhibit higher levels of fruit and vegetable consumption (Rose and Richards 2004). The issue of food deserts is a multifaceted issue, involving many disciplines and at the same time,

Most healthy foods cost much more than the packaged and fast foods. Compounding this problem is the inflated cost of foods sold at small grocery stores in the urban or isolated rural areas that are located far from supermarkets (Franco et al. 2007). The ability of individuals to purchase certain types of food varies greatly depending on many financial factors. These factors are based on whether they are employed or not, if they are employed, their income becomes the main determinant behind their purchasing power and overall ability to buy food. One study found that “fresh fruits and vegetables were considered highly desirable by poor urban residents but were not purchased regularly because they were seen to be an impractical and unaffordable means of providing the family with enough bulk to satisfy hunger” (Hendrickson et al. 2006: 372). These findings explain why so many people living in low-income areas consume emerge-dense foods more than any other types of food. Energy-dense foods are both high in fat and calories, while their nutritional value is mostly