For some people, grocery shopping might seem like a chore or an inconvenience, but for others, it might seem like an impossibility. The latter is often the case for those living in a food desert, or a low-income, low-access area with a lack of grocery stores or supermarkets that provide nutritious food.
That’s not to say that there are no places selling food; there might be a gas station or a convenience store that sells processed snacks. But there is a notable lack of affordable, nutritious, and fresh food in the area. These food deserts occur when census tracts, neighborhoods, or municipalities have low-income areas with few resources, like a town with one grocery store that ultimately closed, or a low-income neighborhood with no supermarkets for miles and no easy way to reach the nearest one.
Food deserts (also known as “low-income, low-access,” or LILA, areas) can be found all across Wisconsin, with 10% of Wisconsinites, or more than 570,000 residents, living in one. There are ways to help Wisconsin residents living in food deserts, like expanding public transit options, bringing mobile markets to impacted areas, and even innovative methods, like pay-what-you-can restaurants.
What is a food desert?
Deserts are known for being vast and barren, and devoid of precipitation. That’s sort of the same concept as a food desert, except instead of being an arid landscape, the area lacks access to fresh, nutritious food due to limited transportation and a lack of nearby grocery stores or supermarkets. Instead of being able to depend on shopping for food at a grocery store, people who live in a food desert often have to rely on eating highly processed, unhealthy foods that can be purchased at places like gas stations or convenience stores.
There are a few criteria that help define a food desert, and they mostly concern low-income and low-access thresholds. To be considered a food desert, an area has to have a poverty rate of 20% or greater, or a median family income at or below 80% of the statewide or metropolitan area median family income. The area would also have to have reduced access to a grocery store, with at least 500 people, or one-third of the population living one mile or more from a supermarket or grocery store in an urban setting, and 10 miles or more in a rural setting.
How are food deserts created?
Unlike a traditional desert, food deserts aren’t a naturally occurring phenomenon. Instead, food deserts are largely created by a combination of economic disparities, racial discrimination, and corporate decision-making. Many grocery stores prefer to open in higher-income areas, where they can turn more profit, leaving lower-income areas without reliable access to fresh food.
Where are there currently food deserts in Wisconsin?
Food deserts are typically mapped by examining census tracts, which are small geographic regions defined by the U.S. Census Bureau for census purposes. When a census tract meets both the low-income and low-access thresholds, it’s considered a food desert or LILA area by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and there are several located throughout Wisconsin.
Food deserts are mapped online by the USDA, and show that while food deserts exist throughout the state, a majority of Wisconsin’s food deserts are located in the northern part of the state, in places like Forest County, Marinette County, and Ashland County. There are also more urban food deserts in southeastern Wisconsin, in places including Waukesha, Racine County, and Kenosha County.
What are the impacts of living in a food desert?
When people live in food deserts, they don’t always lose access to food entirely, but instead lose access to affordable, nutritious food. This often results in Wisconsin residents living in food deserts opting to eat heavily processed foods available at nearby places, such as gas stations. Eating these readily available foods and not maintaining a balanced diet can potentially result in an increased risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer that are linked to obesity.
While some people who live in food deserts can make a trip to go to a grocery store, even if it’s not nearby, others are unable to, including some elderly residents and some Wisconsin residents with disabilities.
What are solutions to food deserts, and are they being implemented?
Food deserts are an issue that people and organizations throughout the state are addressing.
Many Milwaukee residents, especially on the city’s north side, are living in a food desert, after several grocery stores closed last year. In response, Milwaukee mayor Cavalier Johnson announced a plan in February to establish grants to help grocery stores cut down on operating costs, encouraging them to stay in lower-income neighborhoods. The city has also launched a task force to come up with solutions to keep grocery stores in neighborhoods that might become food deserts if they leave.
There are also local organizations, like the Hunger Task Force, which work to eliminate hunger and help people who live in food deserts through advocacy within local government, as well as creating mobile food marts, a food bank, providing nutrition education programs, and even operating a farm to grow food for Wisconsin residents who are in need of it.
How can you help neighbors and community members who live in a food desert?
Fortunately, there are ways for Wisconsin residents to get involved and help out their neighbors and community members who might be living in a food desert.
One impactful way to help Wisconsin residents living in food deserts is to organize community gardens. A community garden can help Wisconsinites who don’t have access to affordable, fresh food by providing exactly that through its harvest. The University of Wisconsin – Madison released a guide on how to start putting together a community garden.
Volunteering at a local food bank can also help people facing food insecurity and living in food deserts. While food banks don’t solve the transportation problem that creates food deserts, they do provide nutritious food to Wisconsin residents in need.
Another way to support Wisconsinites in LILA tracts is to speak up and advocate for improved public transportation across the state. With improved, affordable transportation options, more people who don’t live near a grocery store would have better access to supermarkets and grocery stores. Wisconsin Transit Riders Alliance is a coalition of Wisconsin residents and local groups that advocates for improved public transportation in the state; you can become a member here.
What should you do if you live in a food desert?
While members of the state and local government, as well as advocacy groups, work to reduce the number of food deserts throughout the state, there are steps that people who live in one can take to follow a more nutrient-dense diet, even with a lack of accessible options nearby.
When you can visit a grocery store, stock up on dried and frozen produce, which can be just as nutritionally beneficial as fresh produce, and they have a much longer shelf life. It’s also helpful to plan grocery visits based on errands. Do you have a doctor’s appointment? See if there are any grocery stores near the office. Some grocery stores also offer delivery, which can be pricey, but if done sparingly, can be an easier way to purchase fresh foods.
If you can’t shop at a grocery store or supermarket, there are healthier options offered at many convenience stores or gas stations, like nuts and granola bars, and sometimes fresh fruit.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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