Food Desert Research Paper

Monea’ Holmes
Freshman English 2
Professor Williams

Food Deserts

Food deserts are spaces that are at least a mile or more over from any super markets and/or shopping centers. They are usually located in places where most of the people who live there do not have reliable transportation. Most businesses in food deserts have corner stores and fast food restaurants, but there usually are not any healthy food places or choices in the area. Supermarkets have been harshly judged for leaving out a large population of the Black and Latino population in cities such as Memphis, Los Angeles and Detroit. These cities are desperate for more healthy food besides the many fast food places they have to offer. It is always good to have different choices

Not only can living in food deserts harm our elderly but it can also harm the disabled, low-income individuals and even our children. Fast food is not good for you and the little foods that are sold in liquor stores is not healthy. If you lucky, you can find a few items that may be helpful to your hunger or healthy but most of the time, those will be the items in the store that cost the most. “Studies have found that wealthy districts have three times as many supermarkets as poor ones do, that white neighborhoods contain an average of four times as many supermarkets as predominantly black ones do, and that grocery stores in African-American communities are usually smaller with less selection.”( Morland, K., Wing, S.) The way we pick what we want to eat is all based on what foods we see or hear that we know is around us and what we know we can afford at that moment. Most food deserts have foods that are cheap or high in sugar or fat or depending on the restaurant it may be high in both fat and sugar. Refined foods (such as cookies, juices and soda) or usually sold by convenience stores and these are no more healthy than liquor

It does not matter the age of the person, obesity can put anyone at risk of much more deathly diseases. The population of people having type 2 diabetes has doubled between 1996 and 2007. About twenty years ago, it was said that only people under the age of 40 could only get this disease, but in the past 10 years it has increased tremendously in adolescents. While the frequency of type 2 diabetes has increased, it has also escalated very largely for many people of color. About 13.2% of African Americans, 15.9% of Native Americans and 12.8% of Hispanics have type 2 diabetes. Diabetes was first and seventh leading cause of death based on the 69,071 death documentations that stated it. An official from the CDCP (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) even said food deserts have a huge part in cause these