EP 397 In a Nation of Grocery Chains, Why Do We Have So Many ‘Food Deserts’?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports there are 3,000 food deserts throughout the United States.  Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?  While our guest gives a clearer definition of this designation, it basically means where people do not have access to a large format supermarket with healthy and nutritious food choices within walking distance. Most of these food dead zones are in neighborhoods with high density,l ow income populations.  Yet given the federal reimbursements for supplemental nutrition and mothers and infants in this country, you might imagine that a grocery chain could do good business in these communities.  So, what’s going on here?  Barry Schuster, the founder of the Center for Food Service Research and author of ‘How to End Every Food Desert in America’, joins us to discuss. With skyrocketing medical costs in this country, before and during the pandemic you might imagine that encouraging investment in better foods upfront might do a world of good in addressing the growing problem of chronic diseases, like Type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and associated heart problems.  Our guest has ideas on how to address the issue and offers them on today’s podcast.

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