Food Deserts and Inequality in Access to Nutrition.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by Ibby

Either way, more research is needed in this area.

Ahh, the universal finding, proved in every darn paper there is.

Just once, I'd like to see a study that ends "Yeah we've figured this out, we're done here, let's move on to something else."

Seriously, this stuff is important. Before even long-term health, how can kids do well in school if breakfast was mostly a cupful of sugar and artificial chemicals?

Originally Posted by Undertoad

This is an education problem. The ribs are not utterly cheap, but this is the food they demand, and are provided.

I think you're close but not quite right. It is demand, but I'm not sure the problem is education.
The stores sell this because this is what sells.
If it was profitable to be selling veggies in the ghetto, shops would. People just don't buy them.

Why not? I cannot believe that poor people are completely ignorant of nutrition. Fine details maybe, but a general veggies-good-coke-bad idea must be around, surely? I guess (having spent many years researching US urban ghettoes ) it is more to do with the primacy of immediate survival:
I can get this Burger, fries and coke, now, that will keep me going for another eight hours, within my limited budget; rinse and repeat.
Or maybe just not valuing long-term health over a short term sugar-fat-salt fix.

As for country areas of food deserts, does this account for the fact that many people there have grow-your-own options?