Food Deserts in Low-Income Areas as a Result of Urban Planning: Changes Need to be Made
Hunger and Race are Interconnected
Food insecurity occurs disproportionally in Black and Latino communities across the United States. This disparity results from urban planning used to maintain white supremacy that has divided U.S. cities along racial lines. Adrien Weibgen, the senior policy fellow at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development, claims racial segregation was “not by accident, but by design.” This intentional division of the U.S. along racial lines has contributed to the development of “food deserts” — geographic areas where access to affordable, healthy food options is limited or nonexistent due to low income or living in far proximity from healthy sources of food. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 54.4 million Americans live in low-income areas with poor access to healthy food.
Practices such as redlining, yellowlining, and racial covenants that limited rental and sale property to white people only meant that areas of poverty were concentrated along racial lines. Further, homeowner associations that denied access to Black people have made it harder for people living in lower-income areas to move out or acquire wealth. Urban planning and racial segregation matter when considering food access because grocery stores are less willing to move into poorer neighborhoods. This is because retailers believe that poor cities are less profitable and prone to higher crime rates.
Food Insecurity in North Carolina
As of 2016, North Carolina was 9th in the nation in food insecurity, according to The U.S. Department of Agriculture. There were 24 food deserts in Guilford County — 17 in Greensboro and 7 in High Point. These food deserts are mostly in well-known low-income areas, and there is a clear division on hunger. In low-income areas like south of Kivett Drive in High Point, NC, people struggle to put together enough food for dinner. On the other hand, luxurious condos are being built just a few miles away, and the city’s resurgence is in “full bloom.” Guilford County and its health department have funded and helped organize other efforts to tackle the food desert problem over the last several years. In 2012, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded North Carolina a $7.4 million Community Transformation Grant. Some of this money was used to survey small local convenience stores and curb markets that fill the gaps left by actual grocery stores. Through this survey, the health department found that 80 percent of local convenience stores and curb markets carried enough food to qualify to accept EBT cards issued through food-assistance programs. Additionally, only 15 percent of local convenience stores and curb markets sold fresh produce. This information was important to know.
In May 2016, the House Appropriations Committee tried to abandon a program designed to ensure that fresh produce was accessible to people living in food deserts. This scenario is indicative of how clueless some state legislators are about food insecurity in the poorest areas. To make a change, those in power must realize the negative impacts of urban planning on minority communities. How do we solve this problem of food deserts?
Next Steps
I suggest legislators work with small stores to promote healthy eating in low-income areas. Guadalupe Ayala of San Diego State University’s research, which focuses on four randomly selected, small stores in North Carolina, supports the hypothesis that training is effective in promoting healthy eating. Despite some challenges, consumer fruit and vegetable intake increased by about one additional serving per day with this intervention. Another thing that could be beneficial is switching from working with state and local governments to partnering with independent retailers to determine new sites for supermarkets. Independent retailers, like voluntary and cooperative food wholesalers, can better customize a positioning strategy and adapt to local conditions than the larger chains. Lastly, local and state governments should address transportation issues. Residents are at risk for food insecurity where transportation options are limited and the travel distance to stores is greater. Therefore, there should be public transportation near low-income neighborhoods and areas. Even a change as small as altering the bus route to stop in these specific areas could make it easier for people living in food deserts to access nutritious food options.
Conclusion
Finding a solution to food insecurity and food deserts is essential, considering how a lack of proper nutrients can drastically change someone’s life. Those who are food insecure may be at risk for various adverse health outcomes and health disparities. According to Feeding America, 58% of households served by them have a family member with high blood pressure, and 33% of households have a family member with diabetes (Feeding America, 2022). Supplying low-income families with healthy food could decrease the health problems in these areas. Not even considering the harmful effects of food insecurity, the issue should be addressed as it is a result of systematic racism. Much of the 54.4 million Americans that live in low-income areas with poor access to healthy food are people of color. POC are subject to a lack of adequate housing and resources simply because of their race which is merely unjust. Something needs to change.
