About 53 million Americans live in food deserts, lower-income areas without easy access to supermarkets. In Detroit, the problem is especially severe: the Detroit Food Policy Council reports that 69% of households experience food insecurity. The Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network has spent two decades responding with an organic farm, a local food co-op, and steady engagement with local government. Farm manager Aisha Ellis says the results show up in people’s health and in their homes, with families building new food traditions of their own.
The stakes go beyond groceries. Food insecurity is linked to higher risks of obesity, heart disease, and cancer, which means access to fresh food is a public health issue as much as an economic one. The network’s long-term aim is to spread its co-op, farm, and policy advocacy model from Detroit to other cities.
Closer to home, grocery access varies block by block along the Suncoast, and it’s one of the affordability questions voters may weigh ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections. Where is the nearest full grocery store to your neighborhood, and is it walkable? Tell us in the comments.
