Food Deserts: What Is The Problem? What Is The Solution?

Keywords

Access to healthy foods; Access to transportation; Dietandnutrition; Food costs; Food cultures; Fooddeserts; Foodinsecurity; Nutritional knowledge

Abstract

The theory of food deserts is that poor people eat poor diets in part because fresh, healthy food is not accessible in areas where they tend to live. We review evidence from a number of disciplines on various elements of this theory and find it wanting. Access to a car is, for most, a more important consideration than access to a full service supermarket. Moreover, a number of cases are reviewed where full service supermarkets were opened in food deserts, usually with little effect on shopping or eating habits.

Publication Date

2-17-2016

Publication Title

Society

Volume

53

Issue

2

Number of Pages

171-181

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-016-9993-8

Socpus ID

84958762485 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/84958762485

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