Food Deserts in Our Community Presented by Micheline Hynes - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Food Deserts in Our Community

Presented by Micheline Hynes

Prevalence of Food Insecurity

Food Insecurity by Household Characteristics

The prevalence of food insecurity varied considerably among household

• types. Rates of food insecurity were higher than the national average

(11.1%) for the following groups:

 All households with children (13.9%)  Households with children under age 6 (14.3%)  Households with children headed by a single woman (27.8%)  Households with children headed by a single man (15.9%)

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food- security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx

Food Insecurity by Household Characteristics

The prevalence of food insecurity varied considerably among household types. Rates of food insecurity were higher than the national average (11.1%) for the following groups:

 Women living alone (14.2%)  Men living alone (12.5%)  Black, non-Hispanic households (21.2%)  Hispanic households (16.2%)  Low-income households (29.1%)

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key- statistics-graphics.aspx

Geographic Factors

https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to-the-atlas.aspx

https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to-the-atlas.aspx

Geographic Factors

https://dfwchild.com/2019/03/25/life-in-a-dallas-fort-worth-food-desert/

Life in a Dallas- Fort Worth Food Desert

Life in a Dallas-Fort Worth Food Desert

https://dfwchild.com/2019/03/25/life-in-a-dallas-fort-worth-food-desert/

Life in a Dallas-Fort Worth Food Desert

https://dfwchild.com/2019/03/25/life-in-a-dallas-fort-worth-food-desert/

What Is a Food Desert?

USDA’s Economic Research Service previously identified more than 6,500 food desert tracts in the United States based on 2000 Census and 2006 data on locations of supermarkets, supercenters, and large grocery stores. (Characteristics and Influential Factors of Food Deserts, 2012)

The Great Debate: Is ‘Food Desert’ Really the Right Term?

Food Desert: An area that has limited access to affordable and nutritious food. Food Oasis: An area with higher access to supermarkets or vegetable shops with fresh foods, which is called a food oasis. Food Swamp: Areas with a high-density of establishments selling high-calorie fast food and junk food, relative to healthier food

• ptions.

Food Apartheid: Policies, systems, norms and values that result in inequitable access to food on grounds of race.

The Great Debate: Is ‘Food Desert’ Reallythe Right Term?

Race & Ethnicity

Institutional Racism: The system of policies, practices, norms and values that result in differential access to goods, services and

• pportunities in society by “race”

Structural Racism: Is the way our policies and institutions interact,

• ften invisibly to produce barriers to opportunity, leading to racial

disparities These forms of racism have resulted in, among other things, Generational Poverty and Health Disparities (Structural Racism in

the Emergency Food System)

Race & Ethnicity

Race & Ethnicity

Race & Ethnicity

Race & Ethnicity

Age

• Children are in a critical time of development, both

physically and intellectually and have a significantly limited ability to obtain resources independently.

• Not having enough healthy food can have serious

implications for a child’s physical and mental health, academic achievement and future economic prosperity.

• Research shows an association between food

insecurity and delayed development in young children; risk of chronic illnesses like asthma and anemia; and behavioral problems like hyperactivity, anxiety and aggression in school-age children.

Age

• Seniors have a lower than national average rate of

food insecurity at 7.3% (2018 data), however it is higher than pre-recession levels (2007), and varies widely by

• state. In North Texas, the rate is 9% (2018 data).
• Seniors may also have a reduced ability to prepare

food for themselves, have special dietary needs, and are prone to under-report need.

• Food insecure seniors are more likely to have chronic

health conditions such as depression, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, and physical limitations.

https://www.feedingamerica.org/research/senior-hunger-research

Gender

Women are more likely to experience:

• Gender-based pay discrimination
• Violence in the home
• Significantly more responsibility for children
• Higher risk of obesity
• Depression
• Gestational diabetes, iron deficiency and low

birth weight when pregnant

https://frac.org/blog/impact-food-insecurity-womens-health

Economic Factors

Economic Factors

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/

Economic Factors

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/

Economic Factors

https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/

How do People Cope?

https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/impact-of-hunger

Improving Service to Vulnerable Populations

There are 6 areas that need to be developed to better serve vulnerable populations:

• 1. Policy and Planning—County, City, and Institutional/Organizational Levels
• 2. Training to Build Understanding—Staff must understand the populations’

unique histories and current needs 3. Training for Application and Practice—Staff must know how and have practiced adapting interventions

• 4. Communications—information and materials must either be inclusive or

tailored to each audience 5. Active, Ongoing Collaboration—Relationships and joint-efforts with community leaders within the population must be in the forefront

• 6. Adjust Measurements and Evaluations—Assessments must be developed

from the perspective of the person being served

Suggested Reading

News/Blogs:  What is Food Apartheid? (The Green Dandelion, Feb 11, 2019)  FoodApartheid:The Root of the Problem with America’sGroceries

(The Guardian, May 15, 2018)

 How to Combat ‘Food Deserts’ and Food Swamps (Healthline, Sept 24,

2018)

 Strengthening Local Food Systems (The Good Food Blog, June 9, 2020) Research:  Interactive Food Desert Locator Map (USDA Economic Research Service)  Characteristics and Influential Factors of Food Deserts (USDA

Economic Research Service, August 2012)

 Eliminating Food DesertsWon’t Cure Nutritional Inequality (The

National Bureau of Economic Research, February 2018)

Micheline Hynes

Past Chair Tarrant County Food Policy Council Director, Community Nutrition Tarrant Area Food Bank

nutrition@tafb.org

817-857-7122

Thank You!

tarrantcountyfoodpolicycouncil@gmail.com