Food Deserts in Chicago

By: Katey Lantto and

Matt Sanchez
 Definition
Definition [IL]:

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

NYTimes

[map citation]
 Affected communities
Neighborhoods classified
as Food Deserts:

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]

Intersection
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: Impacts:
Absence of nutritional grocery Higher rates of obesity and
stores within convenient of food insecurity in these
travelling distances areas
Supermarket chains unwilling to Culture and lifestyle of
establish stores in low-income eating habits and diet
communities Overabundance of fast-food
Low-Income communities chains in urban food deserts
cant afford high-priced
nutritional food
Segregation within Chicago and
the concentration of
low-income families in these
neighborhoods
 Case study: Englewood
Quality 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
community-by-community

[Illinois Advisory Committee Citation]

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 community
resources in urban food involvement
-Supermarket deserts
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_Fo
od_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/