Food insecurity is a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food. The defining characteristic of very low food security is that, at times during the year, the food intake of household members is reduced and their normal eating patterns are disrupted because the household lacks money and other resources for food.
Individuals and families living in food deserts are at risk for experiencing food insecurity. Food deserts, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), are areas with large proportions of households with low incomes, inadequate access to transportation, and a limited number of food retailers providing fresh produce and healthy groceries for affordable prices. The USDA found that 23.5 million people live in low-income areas that are further than 1 mile from a large grocery store or supermarket, and that 11.5 million of these people have low incomes themselves.
Another USDA report noted these factors contributing to food deserts:
- Higher levels of poverty, regardless of rural or urban designation
- Reduced vehicle availability and use of public transportation
- Higher the percentage of minority population, except in very dense urban areas
Of all these factors, the 2012 researchers found that concentrated poverty and minority populations emerge were the critical factors in determining low access to healthy food. Compounding the issue is that environments characterized by low income and education levels and high unemployment are most likely unattractive markets for supermarkets and grocery stores. The researchers suggested that public policies may help to alleviate the most dire consequences of living in a food desert by lowering other barriers to access, such as providing better public transportation to enable access to retailers in surrounding areas or addressing education and employment shortcomings directly. It may also be feasible to encourage smaller stores in food deserts to carry healthier products.