Situated on the shores of Lake Erie, the City of Cleveland does not conjure up the image of a desert. But public-health experts there are concerned about several food deserts that can be found in various parts of the city, especially in the lower-income neighborhoods. “Food desert” is a term first used in the United Kingdom in the 1990s to describe geographical areas with poor access to healthy, affordable food. Since then, this phenomenon has been described in both rural and urban America.

In rural areas across America, where large food retailers have moved into the smaller rural markets, local grocers have been continually going out of business. But due to the low population density typical in rural markets, larger grocery stores do not open shop in every village or county, thus making people in some areas travel long distances to get to food stores to buy healthy food at competitive prices. Urban communities such as Cleveland face increasing numbers of food deserts as neighborhood grocery stores close and the larger chains move out to the suburbs. This leaves the city residents with little or no access to healthy foods, particularly fresh produce. Corner stores, gas stations and fast-food chains line the streets in these neighborhoods. Most food choices available at these outlets are high fat, high sugar and high calorie. Fruits and vegetables, low-fat or non-fat dairy items and whole-grain products that are healthier are either not available, are of poor quality or are too expensive. A study undertaken in the state of Mississippi showed that people who live in food deserts eat fewer fruits and vegetables compared to residents with comparable incomes living in neighborhoods where healthy food choices are abundant.

Minerva Santana, OSU nutrition educator, prepares food samples to distribute with bilingual recipes and nutritional information.

Can the quality of an individual's diet be impacted by where that person lives? Most certainly. A report on the effect of food deserts on public health in Chicago shows that people living in food deserts there face more chronic illnesses as a result of poor quality of their diets. In a food desert it is likely that the nearest or most convenient food outlet may not carry nutritious food. Residents of food deserts make eating decisions based on the food that is available where they live, which in turn poorly impacts their health. “In our study, grocery store locations proved to be a significant factor in obesity outcomes; the farther the store, the higher the obesity rate,” according to Mari Gallagher, author of the Chicago report. In many disadvantaged neighborhoods in Chicago, the nearest grocery store can be twice as far from the customer as the nearest fast-food restaurant. Gallagher calls it “the food-balance factor” – a ratio between distance to the nearest grocery store and distance to the nearest fast-food outlet. Neighborhoods that are out-of-balance tend to have poorer health.

The EcoVillage garden in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland provides another ray of hope in a food desert. People from the neighborhood get together to grow fruits and vegetables for local consumption.

How do we create an oasis of healthy options within these deserts? The problem is complex. For example, grocery stores tend to struggle to survive in low-income neighborhoods where fast-food businesses thrive. Perhaps we can learn from the business model used successfully by the corner stores that become the primary food outlet in many neighborhoods. It is possibly a question of scale – the large grocery stores are just too big to sustain themselves in a population with limited disposable income. Other solutions must be sought out.

In Cleveland during the summer, small oases of fresh produce are created in three local food desert areas by a program called City Fresh. Fresh Stops, the retail outlets of City Fresh, bring produce grown by local farmers to inner-city neighborhoods where most of the food outlets are corner stores or fast-food restaurants. The City Fresh program aims to improve access to fresh, affordable produce for those who need it most. Though the program is currently grant-supported with funds from the United States Department of Agriculture, the core mission of City Fresh is to make the local food system just and sustainable. This mission is being achieved by creating new selling opportunities for rural and urban growers, organizing communities and volunteers so they can take charge of operating the program, and providing needed training to farmers and volunteers.

Urban-market gardens, a new concept in the city until a few years ago, are attracting a lot of interest and attention from potential entrepreneurs, consumers and food businesses. Urban market gardens are placed in strategic positions to grow produce for City Fresh, local corner stores, food stands, farmers' markets and local restaurants. There are about 10 operating market gardens in the city and 30 new entrepreneurial “farmers” are being trained this year.

Another ray of hope in food deserts are the community gardens where people in their neighborhood get together to grow fruits and vegetables on vacant lots. The city of Cleveland is recognized by the State of Ohio as a leader in community-gardening efforts. There are more than 160 community gardens in the Cleveland area that engage 3,600 Cleveland residents. Community gardens not only increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables – as shown by an Ohio State University Extension study – they also bring neighbors together, as well as make communities safer, greener and more desirable. And do not forget the positive effects these efforts have on local nutrition.

Bigger does not always mean better. Seeking solutions to improve food choices in food deserts might require creating alternate ways of selling the healthier food options – maybe on a smaller scale. The strides made by programs such as City Fresh are proof that marked improvement is possible.

Punam Ohri-Vachaspati, Ph.D, R.D., is an Extension Educator and Assistant Professor at Ohio State University Extension in Cuyahoga County. She directs a federally funded nutrition education program for low-income families. She can be contacted at (216)429-8220.