“Community food insecurity” is defined as a community’s lack of reasonable access to affordable quality food, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This condition is a major contributor to health risks, disproportionately affecting minority and lower economic status communities. Proliferation of unhealthy eating options, unaffordable food due to the flight of large grocery store chains from inner city neighborhoods, and lack of affordable and accessible transportation are among the many reasons that a community may have limited access to healthy, affordable food.1
- Better access to healthy food corresponds to healthier eating and lower rates of obesity according to studies.2
- It was found that adults were 23 percent less likely to meet guidelines for daily fruit and vegetable consumption in rural Mississippi when they lived in counties without supermarkets compared to adults living in counties with supermarkets.2
- African Americans living in a census tract with a supermarket were more likely to meet federal guidelines for fruit and vegetable consumption. For each additional supermarket, produce consumption increases by 32 percent according to a study examining several U.S. states.2
- It has been found that there are lower rates of obesity among New Yorkers and Californians living in areas with more fresh food retailers and less convenience stores or fast food restaurants according to studies.2
- A new grocery store to a neighborhood translated into an average weight loss of three pounds for adults in that community, researchers found in Indianapolis.2
- Scientists and medical professionals agree that a lack of easy access to healthy foods and safe outdoor areas for physical activity are key contributors to obesity.2
- The only places to buy food are convenience stores that sell fatty, sugary, processed products and fast-food restaurants in many low-income communities across the country. There are no food vendors of any kind in some communities. There are severe health problems that are associated with this lack of access to healthy food that make it difficult for families to eat well, as well as fuel the country’s growing obesity epidemic.1
References
1. Public Health Law Center at William Mitchell College of Law. (1, January 2010). Access to Healthy Affordable Food. Retrieved February 1, 2012, from http://publichealthlawcenter.org/topics/healthy-eating/access-healthy-affordable-food
2. Policy Link. (1, January 2010). Access to healthy food, What is it. Retrieved February 2, 2012, from http://www.policylink.org/site/c.lkIXLbMNJrE/b.7634003/k.519E/Access_to_Healthy_Food.htm