Why Food Deserts Matter: Racism, Class Divides, and an Enduring Public Health Crisis
Healthy food is a human right. Why can’t everybody have some?
When most of us need bananas or an avocado, we simply drive to Whole Foods.
Or, maybe we take a trip to Safeway or Sprouts or Trader Joes, depending on how we feel. The task is unimportant, mundane even.
Yet for people who live in food deserts — communities that lack access to fresh fruit and vegetables — what should be an arbitrary chore is exhausting and exorbitant.
Most of the time, it’s simply impossible.
The disparity of healthy food distribution in America isn’t a new issue. It isn’t random, either.
Food deserts are underpinned by the enduring oppression of racial, economic, and health inequity.
Much like an actual desert, where living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life, a food desert interferes with a person’s right to live a healthy, nourished life.
When Groceries are out of Reach
The USDA outlines two major criteria for a census tract (a neighborhood composed of, on average, 4,000 people) to be considered a food desert.
