Are Food Deserts Really a Problem?

If people’s dietary habits don’t conform to nutrition experts’ wishes and access to the foods experts prefer doesn’t change people’s dietary habits, then (i) “food deserts” likely aren’t a problem, and (ii) it may be worth revisiting the assumption that managing citizens’ diets is a legitimate aim of public policy. >>>

Giving the Poor Easy Access to Healthy Food Doesn’t Mean They’ll Buy It

In 2010, the Morrisania section of the Bronx was what is commonly called a food desert: The low-income neighborhood in New York’s least-healthy county had no nearby grocery store, and few places where its residents could easily buy fresh food.

That’s why it was the target of a city tax incentive program designed to bring healthy food into underserved neighborhoods.

…

The neighborhood welcomed the addition, and perceived access to healthy food improved. But the diets of the neighborhood’s residents did not.

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