Food Deserts in

Chicago

By: Katey Lantto and

Matt Sanchez
Definition [IL]:
Definition
Food Deserts describe
communities that have
limited access to affordable
and nutritious foods within a
1 mile radius

No standard or legal
definition among
researchers or the federal
government
[definition citation]

Chicago Segregation map NYTim

es

[map citation]
 Affected
Neighborhoods classified
as Food Deserts:
communities
Englewood*
($22,633)
West Lawn
($48,313)
North Lawndale
($24,315)

Neighborhoods classified
as Food Destinations:

Rogers Park
($58,641)
Lincoln Park
($85,512)
Hyde Park
($44,592)
Pilsen ($41,245)
[Chicago econ map citation] [Race Food Balance map citation]
Intersecti
on of race
and food
access
Of 22 Chicago communities
that had no large grocery
stores or supermarkets, 15
were predominantly African
American communities

African Americans are about

70 percent of the total Food
Desert population

Predominantly white
neighborhoods contain an
average of four times as many
supermarkets as
predominantly black
communities
Roots and impacts of food
deserts
Roots:
Absence of nutritional grocery
Impacts:
Higher rates of obesity and of
stores within convenient
food insecurity in these
travelling distances
Supermarket chains unwilling to areas
establish stores in low-income
communities Culture and lifestyle of eating
Low-Income communities habits and diet
cant afford high-priced Overabundance of fast-food
nutritional food chains in urban food deserts
Segregation within Chicago and the
concentration of low-income
families in these neighborhoods
 Case study:
QualityEnglewood
of Life plan: health movement and emphasis on food destination

New to Englewood:
- Whole Foods
- Growing Homes weekly farm stand and bi-weekly night market
- Community gardens and walking clubs
- Local food destinations such as Kusanya Cafe

Positives in the introduction of Whole Foods :

- Accessable: off the CTA Green Line, in a stip-mall
- Local and sustainable: arries locally grown produce
- 75% employees from local community
- Affordable: hold average prices at $1 less than other Whole Foods

[Whole Foods citation]

 Response
Improve access to supermarkets and grocery stores
IL Fresh Food Fund

Modify personal behavior

Creating educational nutrition programs

Creating culinary preparation classes

Improve community involvement

Residents must support healthy grocery stores

Recognize diversity of communities

There is no one cure-all approach; solutions must be derived
Food Desert: Connections
Roots Impacts Responses
-Absence of -Higher rates of -Improve access to
nutritional obesity and of supermarkets and
grocery stores food insecurity in grocery stores
within convenient these areas -Modify personal
travelling -Overabundance behavior
distances and of fast-food chains -Improve
resources in urban food community
-Supermarket deserts involvement
chains unwilling to -Influenced
establish stores in culture of eating
low-income habits and diet
communities
Bibliography
-http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/IL-FoodDeserts-2011.pdf
-
http://www.marigallagher.com/site_media/dynamic/project_files/LaSalle_Bank_Chicago_Foo
d_Desert_4_Page_Brochure.pdf
-http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/englewood
-http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/07/08/us/census-race-map.html?_r=0
-http://www.city-data.com/nbmaps/neigh-Chicago-Illinois.html
-http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/takes-grocery-store-eliminate-food-desert/