Resources tagged as 'food deserts'

This research brief, prepared by the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC), determines healthy food access challenges confronted by rural communities in Ohio. The report considers three aspects of food access: physical accessibility (how close are retail food outlets with healthy food choices and what are transit options), economic accessibility (how affordable is food and is there competition between multiple outlets that tends to keep prices lower), and healthy accessibility (are there healthy food options versus a dominance of fast food outlets). The report determines that a lack of larger stores, a lack of competition, and high concentrations of fast food alternatives present unique challenges to healthy food access for rural populations. Given that more than 5 million Ohio residents live in rural areas, this requires a unique set of policies and approaches.