23.5 million Americans – including 6.5 million children – currently live in food deserts.  Food deserts are large geographic areas that lack access to fresh, healthy foods.  Food deserts can exist in both urban and rural communities where healthy food options are not readily available, easily accessible, or affordable.  This limited access to healthy food is associated with obesity, chronic disease, and poor nutrition, primarily in low-income and underserved communities.

Many communities across America are working to increase access to healthy nutritious foods. To reduce the number of food deserts and change health disparities across the country, your community can support healthy places. One way to strengthen a community’s health and increase access to nutritious food is to establish healthy corner stores in underserved neighborhoods. 

The Healthy Corner Stores Network supports efforts to increase the availability and sales of healthy, affordable foods through small-scale stores in underserved communities. This includes addressing the supplier-retailer gap and connecting farmers with business opportunities, including retail, grocers, or restaurants. Most importantly, healthy corner stores provide individuals fresh produce and other healthy foods that might otherwise not be available.

How is your community working to eliminate food deserts? Share what you are doing with us! We’d love to see photos, videos, and how you are improving your community.

Want to know more?

Food Desert Locator Map: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/fooddesert/fooddesert.html

CDC’s Healthy Food Environment: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/healthtopics/healthyfood_environme...

Healthy Corner Stores Network: http://www.healthycornerstores.org/