Food deserts are areas where people do not have access to affordable and fresh produce by a distance of at least 1 mile[1].
23.5 million American households are located in food desert areas of low-income areas[1]. Although not the only obstacle, having to use public transportation limits access to healthy food due to cost[2] and the time.
These are the locations of large chain supermarkets with fresh and affordable produce. We considered the store a supermarket if it is a well-known store with high variety of fresh food and has competitive prices.
And these are the locations of middle to small markets as well as convenience or corner stores. Convenience, small, or middle sized stores generally have fewer options of healthy food and probably at a higher cost than at supermarkets[1]
These are the routes that the buses take. The brighter the color is, the closer it is to a bus stop.
Finally, these animated markers represent the frequency of the bus that stops near a supermarket. The faster it moves, the more frequent the bus is.
You can modify what data is being shown by the colors after this introduction.
We care about this topic as we know people decide what to eat based on what are available to them in their immediate surroundings[1]
In fact, there is a correlation between low-income food desert areas and health challenges such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer[2].
In St. Paul in particular...
Now, you can take control to see which areas seem interesting and find new insights of regarding the accessibility of the supermarkets.
Supermarkets
Large, well-known stores with affordable, diverse, and fresh food
Convenience Stores
Mid- or small-sized, convenience, corner, or specialty stores
Bus Frequency
The faster the particles, the more frequent the bus that goes to a supermarket stops
Bus Route Distance (mi) to Supermarkets