Focus on Agriculture
Eliminating ‘Food Deserts’
Only a Small Step Toward
Healthier Habits
Robert Giblin
With 37,716 supermarkets to choose from in the
U.S., shopping for groceries is a breeze for most
consumers. They can pick up a gallon of milk at the
convenience store; do the weekly shopping at their
favorite nearby supermarket; stock up at a big box
discount store; or treat themselves to visual and culinary
delights at an upscale, gourmet market.
22 West Virginia Farm Bureau News
Yet in a country with the most productive, diverse
agricultural production in the world and a grocery
industry that generates $638 billion in annual sales,
some 23.5 million Americans not only don’t have those
choices, they have little or no access at all. They live
in “food deserts”—communities without ready access
to fresh, healthy, affordable foods. Instead, their only
options—if any—are fast food outlets or convenience
stores.