Health News

Report shows majority-Black, low-income neighborhoods have less access to fresh produce

Key findings:

Small food stores are abundant in Atlanta, with higher concentrations in majority-Black and low-income, low-supermarket-access neighborhoods.
Less than half (44%) of the 150 randomly selected small food stores in Atlanta offered fresh produce.
Stark disparities in produce availability existed in majority-Black and low-income neighborhoods.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025 recommends fresh fruit and vegetable intake as part of a healthy dietary pattern to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic disease, and meet nutrient needs. However, a key barrier to fruit and vegetable intake is having limited access to fresh produce.
These barriers tend to disproportionately impact low-income neighborhoods and communities of color where fewer grocery stores exist, and convenience stores are abundant.
The City of Atlanta has recently made substantial progress in expanding fresh food access to meet the goal of ensuring at least 85% of Atlanta residents live within a half-mile of fresh affordable food by 2022. According to the City of Atlanta Fresh Food Access 2020 report, 75% of the city’s residents lived within a half-mile of fresh produce in 2020 compared to 52% in 2015. However, this progress was achieved unevenly across the city, as improved access occurred primarily in neighborhoods with higher proportions of White residents.

Tax incentives: Local and State governments could consider offering tax exemptions or other incentive-based tax structures to independently-and/or minority-owned small food retailers who carry fresh produce and produce distributors capable of supplying corner stores with small orders as well as on-the-go fresh produce snacks that align healthier options with the convenience store business model.
Require dollar stores to carry fresh fruits and vegetables: This project found that while dollar stores were more prevalent in low-income and majority-Black neighborhoods, none carried fresh produce.
Update SNAP retailer requirements: The high proportion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailers in Atlanta’s majority-Black neighborhoods that did not carry fresh produce highlights the need for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s current SNAP program to add a fresh produce requirement.