Food Deserts

Food deserts are a more recently identified issue, which is now noted as a national problem contributing to negative health impacts. A food desert is simply defined as an area with little access to grocery stores and the healthy food that comes with them. The lack of grocery stores in an area can cause more problems than might be expected. Food shopping in food deserts is often done at places like convenience stores, which tend to have limited fresh produce, meats, and other healthy foods. Food deserts mainly occur in low-income areas, where people are less likely to have a car needed to go grocery shopping outside the food desert to access healthy foods. Wealthy areas have 3 times as many grocery stores as poor ones do, and predominantly white neighborhoods have on average 4 times as many predominantly black neighborhoods do. The absence of grocery stores in food deserts and long traveling distance to those in other areas keeps people in low-income areas from accessing the fresh, healthy food most often found at grocery stores. Additionally, food deserts’ lack of grocery stores draws in cheap fast food to fill in the gap, increasing the convenience of unhealthy eating and the health consequences that come with it. 

The lack of healthy food access leads to significant health implications. A study of Chicago neighborhoods found that the death rate from diabetes in food deserts is twice as high as areas with grocery store access. The high-calorie foods that are most easily accessible increase the risk of diabetes, while also making it harder to manage once diagnosed. Areas with the highest percentage of households in food deserts had higher rates of obesity, along with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Food deserts are prevalent in Massachusetts, where 2.8 million people live in low-income areas without access to grocery stores. The cities with the most significant lack of grocery stores include Chelsea, Springfield, Revere, Lynn, and Taunton. The problem of healthy food access haunts Boston as well, where an average of only 6% of food retailers sell healthy food, leaving many without it. 

There are some attempts to address food deserts and access to healthy food. The Massachusetts Food Trust Program provides seed money to individuals to open supermarkets in food deserts, but the program is still just getting off the ground and its success can not be judged yet. Some communities are taking issues into their own hands. For example, Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood has launched The Dorchester Food Co-op to form a cooperative grocery store run by the community. 

In Medford, an organization like this also exists to help the Medford community food desert. The Mystic Community Market serves the needs of Medford residents, as market staff estimates 1 in 11 Medford residents do not have consistent access to healthy food. Mystic Community Market opened a month before the pandemic hit, and they have now served 11-12x the amount of people from April to June that they were supposed to serve in a whole year. The market provides many healthy options for the community as the pandemic has caused economic devastation. 

Food insecurity has been highlighted in the upcoming Boston Mayoral election, especially by Boston City Councilor and Mayoral candidate Michelle Wu. She has a planned policy for a food justice agenda, noting that “We are what we eat, but we eat what we can access and afford”, so access to healthy food is essential and highlighted in her plans. Further information about food deserts and food insecurity in Boston can be found here and here.