Food desert

A food desert is an area that has limited access to affordable, fresh, healthy, and nutritious food. Food deserts are commonly paired with food swamps, which lack grocery stores and instead have convenience stores or fast food. In contrast, an area with greater access to grocers or farmers' markets with fresh foods may be called a food oasis. Food deserts are commonly associated with food insecurity and are linked to worsening health outcome including an increased risk of developing chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

In 2025, the United States Department of Agriculture reported that an estimated 12.8% of the US population were living in low-income and low-access census tracts. Of this number, 22 million people live in "food deserts", which they define as low-income census tracts that are more than 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from a supermarket in urban or suburban areas and more than 10 miles (16 kilometers) from a supermarket in rural areas. However, food deserts are not just a complication that arises because of distance to grocery stores; other structural barriers, such as food accessibility, affordability, transportation struggles, and socio-economic constraints, also play a role in food insecurity.

Food deserts tend to be inhabited by low-income residents with inadequate access to transportation, which makes them less attractive markets for large supermarket chains. These areas lack suppliers of fresh foods, such as meats, fruits, and vegetables. Instead, available foods are likely to be processed and high in sugar and fats, which are known contributors to obesity in the United States. Children that grow up in food deserts are at a greater risk of developing obesity due to the reliance on calorie-dense but nutrient-poor foods. Research has found a great link between childhood obesity rates and the presence of food deserts, specifically in urban areas with limited options for supermarkets.

A related concept is the phenomenon of a food swamp, a recently coined term by researchers who defined it as an area with a disproportionate number of fast food restaurants (and fast food advertising) in comparison to the number of supermarkets in that area. A study of the North Hartford Promise Zone, found that from both an objective measure of how much a given area was a food swamp, as well a subjective self-reports from residents of low-income and ethnically diverse neighborhoods, a higher score on their "food swamp index" was positively associated with increased shopping frequency at unhealthy food places and simultaneously positively associated with perceived access to unhealthy food. Additionally, higher food swamp scores were associated with increased public transit use. Food swamps highlight how historical discriminatory zoning practices and systematic disinvestment in communities of color have manifested in present day conversations surrounding food access, which are exacerbated by the lack of adequate transportation for people reliant on public transit. The single supermarket in a low-income area does not, according to researchers Rose and colleagues, necessitate availability nor does it decrease obesity rates and health risks. Recent studies have found that food swamps may fundamentally contribute to obesity-related health conditions more than food deserts alone, as the high concentration of unhealthy food options impacts dietary behaviors and long-term health risks, including higher mortality from obesity-related cancers.

Research has shown that food deserts disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, including low income communities, BIPOC, and people with chronic diseases like diabetes, who may struggle with food insecurity and poor glycemic control due to the little access to fresh, health food choices.