WEBVTT - What Are Food Deserts?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works a brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff Lauren Volke bomb here. The United States still struggles

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<v Speaker 1>to feed people adequately. According to a new analysis by

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<v Speaker 1>the nonprofit organization Reinvestment Fund, seventeen point six million Americans

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<v Speaker 1>lack access to healthy food. It's not all bad news.

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<v Speaker 1>They analyzed limited supermarket areas or l says, often called

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<v Speaker 1>food deserts. Their analysis shows that in most states, access

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<v Speaker 1>to healthy food has improved overall during the past several years.

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<v Speaker 1>Even in states with significant population growth, such as Florida

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<v Speaker 1>and Arizona, the percentage of people who lived in alisas

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<v Speaker 1>decreased from six point eight percent to five point six

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<v Speaker 1>percent in six That means three point one million people

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<v Speaker 1>have better access to fresh foods than they used to,

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<v Speaker 1>but progress hasn't been consistent across the country. Even though

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<v Speaker 1>grossery stores aren't the only places to get fresh food.

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<v Speaker 1>Other retailers in hooting drug stores and corner stores. Health

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<v Speaker 1>experts note that food prices at grocery stores are lower

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<v Speaker 1>than those at smaller stores, and that large clubs like

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<v Speaker 1>Costcode Sam's typically require membership fees that may be a

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<v Speaker 1>barrier for some families. Plus, when there are fewer grocery

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<v Speaker 1>stores in a given area, food prices are typically higher. Additionally,

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<v Speaker 1>the analysis found that ls as are disproportionately found in

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<v Speaker 1>areas where the demographics include more people with low incomes,

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<v Speaker 1>people in poverty, and people of color. For example, food

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<v Speaker 1>access improved overall in Rhode Island, the number of people

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<v Speaker 1>living in alisas they're dropped thirty eight percent between twenty

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<v Speaker 1>six but of Rhode Islands remaining ALISA population is low

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<v Speaker 1>income residents. Access to healthy food is key for good

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<v Speaker 1>health and quality of life. People who live in areas

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<v Speaker 1>with poor access to healthy food are fifty percent less

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<v Speaker 1>likely to have a good quality diet. In communities with

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<v Speaker 1>good access to healthy food, there's a reduced incidence of diabetes,

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<v Speaker 1>for example. Food access also impacts other health conditions, such

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<v Speaker 1>as cardiovascular disease and even some types of cancer. The

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<v Speaker 1>Reinvestment Fund analysis identifies low supermarket areas by looking at

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<v Speaker 1>criteria such as income, car ownership rates, and the distance

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<v Speaker 1>to existing grocery stores, making adjustments for differences in rural

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<v Speaker 1>and urban areas. Still, residents of lsays travel almost twice

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<v Speaker 1>as far to get to grocery stores as residents in

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<v Speaker 1>places with good access to healthy food even when there

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<v Speaker 1>is a similar population density and car ownership. Retailers typically

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<v Speaker 1>place stores in areas where there's enough demand to sustain operations,

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<v Speaker 1>such as a denser population with a higher income. Low

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<v Speaker 1>income or rural areas don't offer those characteristics to attract

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<v Speaker 1>retailers without other incentives, and in urban areas, retailers face

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<v Speaker 1>barriers such as real estate costs, limited parking space for customers,

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<v Speaker 1>and traffic issues which can make it hard for large

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<v Speaker 1>trucks to enter and make regular deliveries. The LSA analysis

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<v Speaker 1>by the Reinvestment Fund will help direct government assistance to

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<v Speaker 1>communities to help bring grocery stores and healthy food retailers

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<v Speaker 1>to underserved communities through the government's Healthy Food Financing Initiative.

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<v Speaker 1>In the past ten years, drug stores such as Walgreens

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<v Speaker 1>have made efforts to stock limited grocery items including milk, eggs,

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<v Speaker 1>and fruit, calling these efforts a food oasis to combat

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<v Speaker 1>limited access in food deserts, and some communities address food

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<v Speaker 1>access through grassroots efforts such as mobile grocery stores, community gardens,

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<v Speaker 1>and farmers markets. For example, in Chicago, an urban farming

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<v Speaker 1>program that started back in sen with just a few

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<v Speaker 1>acres of land and a converted bus served its ten

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<v Speaker 1>thousand customer As of August. The program, called Fresh Moves

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<v Speaker 1>Mobile Market, serves senior centers, schools, and other locations on

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<v Speaker 1>Chicago's South and West sides weekly, focusing specifically on areas

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<v Speaker 1>with no access to fresh foods. Today's episode was written

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<v Speaker 1>by Sean Chavis and produced by Tyler Clang. Check out

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<v Speaker 1>our online shop at t public dot com slash brain

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