Large grocery stores often have healthier food options than smaller corner stores in predominantly minority neighborhoods.
Black and Brown people are constantly reminded of their health risks.
But how much of it is their fault or just the circumstances they find themselves in?
Because of food deserts in many minority communities, many poor Black and Brown people often must choose between eating unhealthy foods or not eating at all.
In Spring 2014, Kelly Brooks of Johns Hopkins Magazine reported, “’Food deserts’—areas in which residents are hard-pressed to find affordable, healthy food—are part of the landscape of poor, urban neighborhoods across the United States. With few supermarkets or farmers markets, it’s easier to find a Slurpee than a smoothie, cheaper to get the Big Mac meal than grab dinner at a salad bar.
“The link between poverty and food availability has been well-documented since the mid-1990s, but according to…research by Kelly Bower, an assistant professor at the School of Nursing, a neighborhood’s income isn’t the only barrier to obtaining healthy food. When comparing communities with similar poverty rates, she discovered that Black and Hispanic neighborhoods have fewer large supermarkets and more small grocery stores than their White counterparts. Bursting with junk-food options, these smaller establishments rarely offer whole-grain foods, dairy products, or fresh fruits and veggies that a supermarket would provide.”
As more people move to the suburbs, especially for a city like Houston, food deserts become a painful reality for more Black and Brown communities.
Neighborhoods in the Greater Houston area adversely impacted by a lack of healthy food options include Acres Homes, the East End, Sunnyside, Second Ward and Fifth Ward.
But even in suburban or rural towns in the Greater Houston area like Brookshire, Texas, food deserts also exist.
In a Houston Chronicle article from January, Claire Goodman reported, “The U.S Department of Agriculture defines a food desert as an area in which at least 500 people, or 33 percent of their population, live more than a mile from a supermarket or large grocery store, according to Katherine Byers, government relations officer for the Houston Food Bank.
“The USDA expands its parameters for rural areas like Brookshire; the term is applied to residential areas 10 miles from a supermarket.
“Food deserts are often, but not always, found in low-income to medium-income areas. The median income of Brookshire is $62,987, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The median income in Texas is $73,035.
The largest grocery store in Brookshire, Texas is Brookshire Bros., which is approximately 17,000 square feet.
In comparison, the average size of an HEB grocery store is between 70,000 square feet and 80,000 square feet.
The nearest large grocery store to Brookshire, Texas is in Katy, Texas, which is approximately 15 miles away.
In many predominantly low-income Black and Brown communities, people (especially the elderly) walk to local corner stores to make grocery purchases because some do not own cars.
Therefore, having more healthy options closer to their homes is crucial to their well-being.
Byers said, “Small grocery stores will have smaller produce sections or smaller meat offerings to begin with, and then if you overload their capacity to feed a community, you’re going to see residents without access to nutritious food.”
Furthermore, many small neighborhood grocery stores have become infamous for still selling meat and other products after their expiration dates have passed, making the food even less safe and nutritious.
Even residents of more affluent towns like Fulshear, Texas, which will probably reach 70,00 residents by 2040, must travel to Katy, Texas for the nearest HEB supermarket.
Fulshear, Texas Mayor Don McCoy said, “We in Fulshear are aware of food deserts, especially given our rapid growth and the need to ensure that all our residents have access to fresh and affordable groceries within a reasonable distance.”
Mayor McCoy said the city has been actively trying to get a supermarket by suggesting development sites and streamlining the process to receive a permit for a large grocery store.
McCoy said, “Our strategy also includes collaborating with developers and retail experts to highlight Fulshear’s unique market potential as one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. This not only strengthens the case for a grocery store but also ensures that our growth is sustainable and supports the needs of our community.”
Many community leaders believe food deserts in minority communities are deliberate and an example of systemic racism.
Reports show that 31 percent of White Americans live in a census tract with a supermarket, while only eight percent of Black Americans do, according to Word In Black.
To combat what many Black leaders see as discrimination, Black farmers are beginning to step up to fill in the gaps so that poorer Black Americans can have more healthy food options.
In 2022, Alexa Spencer of Word In Black reported, “Bobby Wilson, CEO of the Metropolitan Urban Farm, is one of many residents across the country who got tired of watching his predominantly-Black city struggle to access fresh food.
“In 2009, he used his retirement funds to buy five acres just minutes from downtown Atlanta and started planting seeds.
“During the pandemic, when the local food system was impacted, and it was harder to utilize indoor stores, the farm fed 25,000 families with boxes of tomatoes, okra, swiss chard, and other crops that were in season.”
Wilson said, “I like to think and feel that I am having one of the greatest impacts that one individual can have on marginalized and underserved communities across this country.”
