Food Desert Research
Price and Income Elasticities for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in an Urban Food Desert
Dave D. Weatherspoon, James F. Oehmke, Marcus A. Coleman, Thasanee Satimanon, Lorraine J. Weatherspoon
A large number of African-Americans live in inner city food deserts, which are neighborhood areas that are typically classified by the scarcity of nutritious foods. Detroit, MI is arguably America’s worst food desert, in terms of size and number of people impacted, and is a city where there have been no full-service supermarket chains operating since 2007. This study addresses the knowledge gap concerning the demand for fruits and vegetables in a predominantly African American food desert. Using retail data from a non-profit owned retail outlet specializing in fresh fruits and vegetables (FFV) in the Piety Hill community of Detroit, this study estimates the income and price elasticities of FFV among residents of this low-income, food-desert community. The results of this study show that if urban food desert consumers, from an environment that has been predominantly serviced by convenience and liquor stores for several decades, are offered a normally priced healthy good of relatively acceptable quality that is accessible by the community, they will purchase those goods. This study is a seminal approach in addressing the notion that perception, additional data, and innovative intervention strategies are required to effectively pursue long-term solutions to the urban food desert problem.
Food Retailing in an Urban Food Desert: Strategies for Success in Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Marcus A. Coleman, Dave D. Weatherspoon, Lorraine J. Weatherspoon, and James F. Oehmke
Demand for and access to affordable, nutritious food is at the forefront of the food desert problem. Food deserts are characterized by scarcity of food or if it is available, it is usually of low quality and sold at exorbitant prices. Detroit, MI is arguably America’s oldest and worst food desert. Primary data was collected and analyzed using a Poisson regression to understand the true demand for healthy food products in an urban food desert setting and to determine the significant factors influencing healthy food consumption for those consumers. Indicators for affordability, access, and consumer perception were found to significantly impact food desert consumer’s decision to increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables (FFV). This study provides justification to the fact that retailers can create strategies to market and sell FFV to the urban food desert residents and make a positive impact on the health disparities related to unhealthy food choices either due to poor access or preferences.
