Science

Georgia Researcher Adds Context to Food Desert Discussion

March 12th, 2012

When it comes to having access to fresh foods, some Southeastern communities struggle more than others. But new research shows there’s more to “food deserts” than previously thought.

The U.S. government defines these low-income areas as census tracts where a substantial number of residents have low access to a grocery store or supermarket. For most urban areas, this means at least 33 percent of the tract lives more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store.

Jung Sun Lee, a University of Georgia researcher who studies aging and nutrition, says how stores price healthy foods matters too.

Lee found that supermarkets offer fresh produce at the lowest price. Yet these stores are often near more affluent neighborhoods, not around low-income areas where many minorities live.

“In the specific example of Leon County in Florida, we found the predominantly black neighborhoods don’t have any supermarkets down there. They have a higher number of grocery stores, but they don’t have supermarkets,” Lee says. “They may have some impact in terms of what kinds of things are easily accessible for people living in those areas.”

Since no federal definitions exist, Lee used the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ categories for supermarkets and grocery stores. Facilities’ total square footage, the number of cash registers and the amount of food processing and service all determined whether a store was a “supermarket” or a “grocery store,” according to the study.

Lee says communities may also be affected by a lack of stores participating in assistance programs like food stamps.

Food deserts aren’t new for areas in Athens and Atlanta either. In Georgia, Lee says there are roughly six census tracts in the Athens-area alone. Today Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed attended an event to support building a new Walmart in Vine City. He cites combating food deserts in the area as a reason for his support.

Still, Lee says there’s more than geography at play.

“The distance and availability of stores may not always tell us what’s going on in each different household and individual’s food-related behaviors,” Lee says. “That’s what we are trying to better understand how we can make better options and better ways to promote healthier food involvement for living in different areas.”