Food Access
Accessibility
Cost/Economic impact
Community Bonds
Health
Food insecurity has been known to cause mental health issues such as depression and anxiety (FRAC, 2021)
Having access to a healthier variety of foods allows people to choose more nutritious options (FRAC, 2017)
People who live in food deserts live far away from supermarkets, therefore people end up spending more time, energy, and money traveling to buy the foods they need (Complete Communities, 2022)
"Through the process of creating and using community gardens, gardeners have extensive interactions with other community members, often making new social connections and strengthening social ties" (Glover, 2004; Alaimo et al., 2010).
Grocery stores and places that sell healthier food options can strengthen a community's economy (Healthy Food Access, 2022)
Working with members that live in the community helps because they have firsthand experience of the issues that are happening and how to best deal with them
In 2010, the USDA reported that 35.9 million people were living in low-income neighborhoods. Of those 39.5 million people 19 million had little access to grocery stores/supermarkets (USDA, 2017).
Grocery stores, community gardens, and farmer's markets create jobs for people
Implement community-led projects such as community gardens and produce stands to strengthen community bonds
Creating more jobs by building places like grocery stores that pay a livable wage would be one way to improve equity within a city
Working towards eliminating the stigma that surrounds food insecurity and low food access would be a step toward creating a just city
Requiring a certain number of stores throughout a city that sell a wide variety of nutritious foods will improve how many people can access them