Written By: Cove Johnson Rabidoux
Food deserts (or more appropriately called food apartheids) can have immense impacts on one's health, but what are they?
Well, a food desert refers to a geographic region that has low or limited access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. In food deserts, healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains aren't easily accessible, and if they are, they come at extremely high prices. Instead, the only readily available food sources tend to be convenience stores, fast-food outlets, and gas stations. Typically, these outlets only offer processed, sugary, and high-fat foods rather than fresh and nutritious options.
Now, there are several factors contributing to the development of food deserts, including:
Economic Inequality: Many food deserts are located in economically disadvantaged areas where low-income families live. Supermarkets and grocery stores are often reluctant to open in such regions because of lower potential profits, leaving residents with limited food options. Those that do open often set prices much higher than in more affluent areas, further restricting access.
Transportation Barriers: A common characteristic of food deserts is poor transportation. Residents without access to a car may have to travel long distances to reach a grocery store, often relying on limited public transportation systems that can make this difficult. This leaves people reliant on nearby convenience stores, where fresh produce is rarely available.
Segregation: Many food deserts today are the product of historical segregation. Redlining, a discriminatory practice that denied services like loans and investments to people in certain areas, has left many predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods devoid of healthy grocery stores. This pattern of inequality continues to affect these communities today, contributing to food deserts.
These barriers create areas where processed and inorganic foods are more abundant than healthy foods. Ultimately, this leads to detrimental impacts on the health and well-being of certain communities because a lack of fresh food increases the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. However, on the other end of the spectrum, food insecurity can also lead to malnutrition among kids, which impacts their cognitive development.
Recently, a food desert has become more commonly referred to as a food apartheid. This is because a desert is a naturally occurring phenomenon, which suggests that food deserts are also natural, but as mentioned, this is far from the truth. As a result, many people are using the term "food apartheid" to more accurately reflect the systemic factors behind the lack of access to healthy food in certain communities.
Choosing to directly use the term "food apartheid" is just one way people are raising awareness about this issue, as well as advocating for systemic change. However, there are countless other ways you can advocate for increased access to healthy foods in food deserts, such as making informational posters, writing to government officials, and starting community gardens.
All in all, food deserts are not sand deserts with sparse fruits and veggies; rather, they are human-made problems that deeply impact those living in underserved communities. So, the next time you stroll through a grocery store, admiring the vibrant rows of fresh fruits and vegetables, remember that that isn't the norm for everyone.
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