Are there food deserts in Mississippi?
In 2015, Mississippi was identified as the largest food desert in America by the Department of Agriculture. Based on population data from that year gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau, it found over 30% of Mississippians were living in areas where the population was considered low income.
Is Jackson MS a food desert?
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture mapped food deserts across the U.S., showing that large swaths of Jackson that have steadily become blacker and browner due to white and economic flight, are food deserts under the accepted definition.
Where can a food desert be found?
The report also notes that rural areas located in the West, Midwest, and South of the U.S. are much more likely to be food deserts than rural areas located in the Northeast. This may be because rural areas in the Northeast tend to be closer to urban areas containing grocery stores.
Why is Mississippi hungry?
With the highest rates of poverty in the country, restrictions that deny access to benefits, high health care costs, lack of grocery stores, the lack of nutritional food available, the institutional racism that negatively affects marginalized racial groups, it is easy to see why Mississippi suffers from food insecurity …
How many people go hungry in Mississippi?
In Mississippi, 550,370 people are facing hunger – and of them 155,560 are children. 1 in 4 children face hunger. People facing hunger in Mississippi are estimated to report needing $273,100,000 more per year to meet their food needs.
Which state has the most food deserts?
The States with the Most Food Deserts The places with the most food deserts in low-income areas were Rhode Island, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. In the top state, Rhode Island, a staggering 91% of low-income areas had low supermarket access.
What place has the most food deserts?
Among the 51 metro areas with more than a million people in 2010, Memphis, Tennessee had the highest share of its population — 32% — who are both low-income and live in tracts with this definition. The New York City area had 3% of its population living in food deserts.
How do I know if I live in a food desert?
In the Food Desert Locator developed by USDA’s Economic Research Service, a food desert census tract is defined as a low-income tract where a substantial number or substantial share of residents does not have easy access to a supermarket or large grocery store.
Why is Mississippi so food insecure?
As is the case with the entire country, food insecurity rates are much higher in Mississippi’s rural areas than they are in urban areas due to the lack of resources to be able to attain food. The food eaten by Mississippians is often cheap and has minimal nutritional value.