By Nathan Tims, CAHNRS marketing and news intern
PULLMAN – Eliminating food deserts and increasing consumer access to fresh local produce are the focus of a study by economic researchers at WSU.
Often located in impoverished urban neighborhoods, food deserts are areas with no grocery stores nearby. When compared with more affluent neighborhoods, food desserts often have a high percentage of fast food outlets. Eating fast food is strongly correlated with increased diet-related health problems.
Working with the Wisconsin-based Institute for Research on Poverty, WSU economics Professor Vicki McCracken and doctoral student Jeremy Sage received nearly $40,000 to examine the inequalities of food distribution methods in Washington state.
“In the past decade, there has been a growing interest in helping lower income areas gain access to fresh, local produce,” Sage said. “Our guiding question is how the location of the farmers’ markets affects consumers’ willingness to access.”
Co-sponsored by the USDA Economic Research Service, the project also will examine the effectiveness of various federal food assistance programs, such as food stamps.
“Federal food programs often give lower-income consumers vouchers or coupons for farmers markets,” he said. “We want to know if consumers are accessing local markets.”
Sage and his wife, Rayna Sage, a doctoral candidate in sociology, jointly developed the proposal with McCracken.
“The massive diversity of agricultural produce in Washington state makes it excellent for a direct-market alternative study,” McCracken said. “There are over 200 major and minor crops produced in Washington that are directly marketed to consumers.”
Washington is the third leading state in the U.S. for organic food production and has more than 150 farmers’ markets.
“It is important for each state to understand its own deficiencies and whether or not it is fulfilling its responsibilities,” Sage said. “Our research would show what Washington state is doing well and how we can improve.”
The WSU research team will map and geocode the locations of supermarkets throughout Washington to identify the conventionally conceived food desert. Previous research indicates one to two kilometers is a reasonable distance for access to supermarkets in urban areas. The team will then locate food deserts based on distance from farmers markets in a similar fashion.
“After we have an idea of what the food desert map looks like, we will seek to understand how increasing distances from a farmers’ market influences redemption rates of food assistance programs at the markets,” Sage said.
The American Dietetic Association published a position statement in September 2010 expressing a need for increased action relating to food security and nutritional health. The article said that, in 2008, more than 49 million individuals living in the United States experienced food insecurity.
“Federal food programs like SNAP and Senior FMNP are working on encouraging consumers to use farmers’ markets,” Sage said. “The more convenient and accessible we can make fresh produce, the more likely we will minimize food deserts.”
For Sage, the primary goal is to show how policy makers and managers can best serve consumers who live at different socio-economic levels.
“The results will be given to the National Food and Nutrition Assistance Research organization in a presentation at Washington, D.C.,” he said. “Also, we hope to publish and present the findings to government officials, market managers, farmers and anyone else who has a role in ensuring food access throughout the state.”