Food Desert
/'fu:d ˌdez.ət/ : noun
an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food.
What are Food Deserts and why are they Important
Food Deserts are places where it is difficult to find and afford good quality food without traveling a long distance. This makes people who live in these places overly-reliant on fast food and convenience stores which is more expensive and unhealthy
Highlighted in green are all the places in the US that are classified as food deserts by the USDA. Although there are some problems with the classifications given by the USDA, as it is oversimplified, it gives us an idea as to how big of an issue this is in the US.
Climate Justice
Climate Change disproportionately affects individuals who live in food deserts by disrupting supply chains and causing an increase in food prices. Those who live in food deserts already lack access to fresh and affordable foods and therefore any sort of increase in food prices can be detrimental to those who live in these marginalized communities.
Historical impacts such as redlining, segregation, and divestments to communities of color this has shaped the amount of resources a place has, especially food. This means that many food deserts are products of systemic inequality causing people to resort to unhealthy alternatives when easy access to healthy and affordable food should be a human right.