Urban Food Deserts - Liability or Opportunity?
A food desert is more than just the absence of grocery stores. Like a sand desert, there are oasis of food in urban places if you know where to look. But is the oasis real or a mirage? Peeling back the layers, you begin to see that the desert that at first looks like a liability is in fact an economic opportunity that can change the health and well-being of residents of the urban core.
What is a "Food Desert?"
According to the USDA it is "a low-income census tract where a substantial number or share of residents has low access to a supermarket or large grocery store. To qualify as low-income, census tracts must meet the Treasury Department's New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program eligibility criteria. Furthermore, to qualify as a food desert tract, at least 33 percent of the tract's population or a minimum of 500 people in the tract must have low access to a supermarket or large grocery store...Low access to a healthy food retail outlet is defined as more than 1 mile from a supermarket or large grocery store in urban areas...If the aggregate number of people in the census tract with low access is at least 500 or the percentage of people in the census tract with low access is at least 33 percent, then the census tract is considered a food desert."
The Food Desert Locator: USDA has a mapping program where you can enter an address or zip code and find the Census Tracts around that address that are classified as a Food Desert.
There is a companion mapping system with even more layers about the community, its health, and access to food. The Food Environment Atlas is built on GIS layers to give a robust picture of the desert. The data include low income and distrance to grocery stores, farm to table sales, WIC and SNAP stores, and grocery stores by size. Unfortunately, this data is available at the 30,000 foot county level which does not provide great assistance to community level food access advocates in urban neighborhoods.Inside a Food Desert
A food desert designation does not tell us the quality or experience in obtaining food, merely if people have access to a supermarket or large grocery store, which are defined by the USDA as "food stores with at least $2 million in sales that contain all the major food departments found in a traditional supermarket."However, grocers are starting to alter their store footprint for urban locations, rendering the supermarket design as a less likely option to be built. This could require the definition of the food desert to be altered as well.The Rush to Build Walkable Urban Grocery Stores
Detroit is deftly adapting to 21st-century urban renewal, implementing viable development strategies fueled by a complex combination of federal, state, and local funding sources, loan programs, tax credits, and foundation grants. - July 15, 2011 America's ability to compete globally depends on the willingness of locally elected officials to invest in the future and build the critical public/private partnerships needed to harness the strengths of their communities.
Sizing down the next generation of urban grocery stores | Sustainable Cities CollectiveWe know cities are cool again, and as a result supermarkets now think so too. We also know auto-oriented suburban supermarkets with vast parking lots in urban area won't fly. So how are the next generation of urban supermarkets fitting in? By getting smaller. Under 5000 s.f.Urban Grocery Stores a Hot Market | Planetizen
Grocery stores are having a renaissance, with new, smaller stores being built in urban areas and new ideas in store layout and design to attract pedestrians, not just drivers. Sam Newberg, writing for ULI, gives a few examples of the trend, including a 55,000 sq. ft. Safeway in Washington, D.C.The Urban Core Communities in Kansas City, Missouri - KCMO
KCMO is located in Jackson County, Missouri. The county had a 14% poverty rate and a child poverty rate of 19%. It's neighboring county in Kansas City, Kansas - KCK, had a 19% poverty rate and 24% child poverty rate. But other stats such as % low income and 1-10 miles to a store are diluted by the county level view. There are only 5% of the population in the county that fit that category, yet there are urban core neighborhoods where 25%+ of the population do not have a car and the neighborhood is dominated by low income people. The urban core school district has 87% rate of free and reduced price lunch eligible students. Some of the Atlas data can be found on the Food Desert Locator map at the Census Tract level. That data can provide a basic understanding of food access using 2006-08 Census data. Again, in 2011, that data has limited usefulness.There are few grocery stores in the heart of the KCMO urban core, roughly defined as the 3rd Council District. The store most centrally located that could pass for a grocery store is Wild Woody's Happy Foods. It's been a fixture at that location for many, many years. Compare it to the new Cosentino's Market in downtown KCMO where the city has assisted it's success by subsidizing the nearby residential units, entertainment district, and office construction. The Happy Foods neighborhood has not had that kind of capital investment or support from the city.
Urban Core Groceries - KCMO Fresh Fruit and Vegetables.
There are 4 grocery stores in the 3rd Council district and numerous corner stores, ethnic markets, and food sold at convenience stores. However, the focus here is to understand the value of urban grocery stores that carry a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. Many stores, including convenience stores, Walgreens, and gas stations stock grab-n-go food like bananas and apples. But you have to go to a grocery or ethnic market to get a fresh food selection.In the 3rd District, there is Happy Foods (see above), Thriftway, Apple Market, and Aldi's. In the areas adjacent to the 3rd there is SunFresh, Sav-A-Lot, and another Apple Market. Farther out are more traditional suburban markets such as Cosentino's and Price Chopper.The available stores in the 3rd District vary greatly in customer appeal, store set-up (warehouse style or conventional shelving), cleanliness, assortment, and price. These are the types of criteria that are not fully incorporated into the food desert definition and subsequent data mapping.On July 14, 2011 I did a comparison shop of each of the 3rd district area urban grocery stores listed above. I wanted to know if basic fresh foods are available and what the price differences are between the stores for the same items. I then noted the stores that had distinctly lowest or highest price on each item. Not all stores carried all the items on my list. The results demonstrate the variability within a food desert or even an urban area that is technically not a desert, but whose residents are underserved by the market options.7 Stores Are Not Equal
Comparison Shopping based on these common fresh foods, most of which could be provided by local farmers:lettuce/greensgreen beansstrawberries/blueberriescorntomatocucumbergreen/red peppersbananasWIC can be used for fresh fruit and vegetables.Some items such as green beans and corn were not available at every store, despite this being the height of the summer growing season. Other items such as tomatoes and cucumbers were shipped in from Mexico to some stores, despite being available from local growers. Prices varied greatly on some items. For instance prices for blueberries (available in 3 stores) ranged from 99 cents/pint to $3.99/pint. Even bananas, available in every store, varied from 44 cents to 79 cents a pound. Strawberries were available at all stores and all were trucked in from California. Prices varied considerably from 99 cents to $2.50 for a pint.A simple rating system was devised to rank the stores based on the number of items available (one point for each) and whether the store offered the item at the highest price (point deducted) or the lowest price (point added). The highest (best) score was 14 - Aldi's on Paseo and Admiral Boulevard and the lowest (worst) score was 4 - Thriftway on Van Brunt and Truman Road. The second highest score was 8 - Happy Foods at E. 31st Street and Indiana. This is a one-day study of a sample of foods and the ratings reflect only that and are not a reflection of the overall quality of the stores.Stores are offering different access to food by selection and price. This is a significant element that is not covered by the food desert definition.Is There Demand for Fresh Food in the Urban Core?
If you build the grocery store, will people come to shop? That seems to be a circular question. Is there pent up demand in the urban core for fresh food that once it is provided will generate a line of customers? Will nutrition education and cooking classes stimulate new demand for fresh food purchases? Or does the lack of income and the need for convenience outweigh the availability, albeit at higher costs and less convenience (because cooking may be required) of fresh food over fast food?
Access to grocers doesn't improve diets, study findsBetter access to supermarkets — long touted as a way to curb obesity in low-income neighborhoods — doesn't improve people's diets, according to new research. The study, which tracked thousands of people in several large cities for 15 years, found that people didn't eat more fruits and vegetables when they had supermarkets available in their neighborhoods.- It may be kids that lead the grownups to change their eating behavior and become consumers of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Home - Common Threads
All information, images, logos and the like are the exclusive property of Common Threads. Any use of the above without our written consent is strictly prohibited, but we are pleased to provide such consent if it helps achieve our goals. We are Common Threads.
Linda Novick O'Keefe: The Elephant in the KitchenIn the fight against childhood obesity in the United States, we are getting back to basics. We know that simple things like eating more plant-based foods, exercise, nutritional knowledge and portion control can have a huge impact.
