food desert

noun

: an area where little fresh produce is available for sale

Despite the common perception of food deserts as city neighborhoods where fast food chains and convenience stores dominate, many of Kansas' food deserts are in rural areas. In some, residents have to drive 20 miles or farther to find a source of healthful food.—

Megan Hart

Examples of food desert in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The campaign to open a full-service grocery in the northeast Denver neighborhood that’s now considered a food desert has now grown into a $97 million project that also includes affordable housing, an arts education and cultural center, a small business accelerator and mental health services office. —

Judith Kohler, The Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2024 East Oakland is also considered a food desert so getting groceries can be tough without a car. —

Kristin J. Bender, The Mercury News, 19 July 2024 But for many people, particularly low-income individuals or those living in food deserts where UPF is the only affordable food option around, this may not be realistic. —

Jess Craig, Vox, 5 Sep. 2024 This panel will explore how more and more of today’s Black families are working to combat issues like food deserts and unhealthy eating habits by growing their own food. —

Essence, 26 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for food desert

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'food desert.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.