Atlanta, GA
Poor and Black-majority neighborhoods of Atlanta lack access to fresh produce, study finds
What is a food desert and who does it impact most?
FOX 5 has a closer look at that exact problem across metro Atlanta. Some neighborhoods without grocery stores are referred to as food deserts. Researchers at Emory University just put out a study that found Atlanta’s poorest and predominantly Black neighborhoods consistently have less access to fresh produce than the rest of the city.
ATLANTA – A new Emory University study found that access to fresh food across metro Atlanta all depends on where you live.
The study found that Atlanta’s poorest and predominantly-Black neighborhoods consistently have less access to fresh produce than the rest of the city.
“We see stark disparities over produce access across our city of Atlanta,” said Dr. Megan Winkler, an author of the study. “We find fewer produce options for those stores that are located in majority-Black and low-income neighborhoods.”
The researchers found that a lot of people in these neighborhoods without grocery stores like Publix and Kroger do a lot of their food shopping at places like gas stations and convenience stores, especially those without cars.
Sometimes you may hear these neighborhoods called food deserts.
The study found only 44 percent of small food stores offer fresh produce, and a big factor is your zip code. Only 36% of stores in majority-Black neighborhoods carried fresh produce compared to 61% in non-majority-Black neighborhoods, the study said.
“We’re focusing really on small food stores,” Winkler said. “We’re talking about the corner stores, convenience stores, gas stations, pharmacies, dollar stores.”
The study says even if these places accept SNAP, or what a lot of people call food stamps, they don’t always have the best choices you can use them on.
“We actually found that not all SNAP stores are carrying these healthy products, and in fact when we look across majority-Black and low-income neighborhoods, those patterns that we saw overall actually widened.
The study says that offering these mom-and-pop stores tax incentives could help them get healthier stuff on the shelves.
When it comes to national dollar store chains, Winkler said none of their locations in the city offer produce.
Dollar General recently announced plans to bring fresh produce to more than 5,000 stores nationwide by January.
Meanwhile, residents throughout Fulton County will soon have the opportunity to get free produce and learn some healthy recipes through a “mobile market” to combat inequalities in access to food.