Food Deserts: How Supermarkets are Linked to Health In Black Communities
Are Food Deserts An Extension of Structural Racism?
You’ve probably heard about food deserts, places with scarce access to high-quality foods (i.e nothing in sight for miles but sand). The term was coined in the 1990s and gained a lot of attention in the early 2000s as researchers, public health professionals and doctors focused more on the ways that our environment affects our ability to make healthy decisions. Since then, studies have found that living in a food desert (i.e not having a supermarket nearby) is linked to a lower likelihood of eating fruits and vegetables. If living in a food desert makes you less likely to eat fruits and vegetables, it’s no surprise that living in a food desert is also linked to worse health outcomes.
It’s horrible to think that people can find themselves born into neighborhoods (food deserts) that increase their chances of developing a potentially fatal chronic disease like diabetes, obesity and heart disease. What’s worse is that these food deserts don’t affect everyone equally. In the US, people who are lower-income and/or Black are most likely to end up living in these illness-promoting environments. So, as it turns out, food deserts contribute to the health disparities that are disproportionately killing Black men and women.
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What’s the Definition of a Food Desert?
Researchers have different definitions of food deserts. Here are a couple:
An urban area with under 10 stores. Of those stores, none for more than 20 employees (Hendrickson et al., 2006)
An area where 1/3 or 33% of the people living in a census tract have to travel more than 1 mile to reach a supermarket if they live in an urban area or more than 10 miles in a rural area- USDA
It’s important to stop here and realize 1 very important flaw in the food desert definition- it prioritizes big, chain supermarkets.
The food desert research doesn’t take into account whether there are small non-chain (mom-and-pop) grocery stores in a community because it assumes those stores are worse for food-buyers than supermarkets- that they offer less healthy food and are less accessible.
What Food Sources Aren’t Included in Food Desert Definitions?
Aside from non-chain grocery stores, there are other places people buy food that aren’t factored into the food desert definition. These are the establishments we miss:
Food Bank or Food Pantry
Community Garden
Convenience or Corner Stores
Non-chain Grocery Stores
Where Are the Supermarkets in Black Neighborhoods?
According to surveys of different cities in the U.S., small non-chain grocery stores are more likely to be found in Black American communities than in White communities. In fact one 2006 study of census tracts in Maryland, New York and North Carolina, compared grocery store and supermarket presence in White neighborhoods compared to Black and mixed race neighborhoods. They found that Black and mixed race neighborhoods had twice the number of grocery stores and only half the number of supermarkets as White neighborhoods. Many people would argue that having lots of mom-and-pop groceries isn’t a bad thing if their small business presence in a community has a positive effect on social support. Makes sense. But, bear with me while we explore the peculiar connection between supermarkets and health.
Supermarkets v. Small Non-Chain Grocery Stores: Which is Better?
Sure enough, some data have shown that food sold in small grocery stores tends to have lower nutrient quality than in supermarkets. Lower nutrient quality means you’re less likely to find fresh produce and whole grains shopping at a grocery store (Alwitt 1997).
There’s also the issue of price. Even if you find fresh produce at a non-chain grocery store, you might end up paying more for your fruits and vegetables. A comparison of 2 communities in Chicago found that the highest quality food (fresh produce) was more expensive at small non-chain grocers compared to discount supermarkets (Block and Kouba, 2006).
Keep in mind that stats compare the average supermarket and average grocery store. We all know that not every supermarket has the same type of inventory, and neither does every grocery store.
Your Homework:
What can we do to make our lives as long and healthy as possible DESPITE our environment?
1) Start paying attention to how the environment affects us
2) Find work-arounds that let you build healthy habits despite the environment
3) Shift your environment
Those sound like big projects, but don’t let that intimidate you. Ease into it by asking yourself these questions:
Think about what type of food environment you live in. Does you neighborhood meet the definition of a food desert?
If so, does it have any small-chain grocery stores or only convenience/corner stores?
How many does it have?
Do these stores sell whole grains and fresh fruits/vegetables?
That’s all for now. But, if learning about food deserts opened up a whole new world for you, wait until you hear about food swamps. Click to keep reading.
