Food Deserts

 Have you ever dreamed of lying around on a desert island, soaking up the sun?  Well today, around 23.5 million Americans live in the desert[1].  That’s not the idyllic white sands and cocktails type of desert though – in fact, it’s much more sinister than that.  They live in food deserts. 

 Desert Island Dreams

Food Deserts in America are full of dreams of only one thing – easy access to healthy, affordable foods.  To qualify as a food desert, then, a geographical location will offer little or no affordable, healthy food options within a reasonable travelling distance[2].  There are more of these areas than you would think.  In fact, the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that nearly 24 million people in America today live more than one mile away from a supermarket and have limited or no means of transport.  What’s scarier is that 2.3 million Americans are living in low-income, rural communities that are ten or more miles away from retail outlets selling a good range of healthful foods[3].   That’s an awfully long way to go for fruits and vegetables, especially when you don’t own a vehicle and public transportation is poor.