Examining Food Deserts in Indianapolis and Bloomington

Introduction: What are Food Deserts and Their Implications/Issues

Food deserts are defined by the US Department of Agriculture as areas with low income and low access to affordable, nutritious food. Specifically, a low income area is characterized as an area where 20% or more of the residents are below the poverty line or the median family income of the area is at 80% of the statewide or metropolitan area’s median family income. A low access area is defined in an urban context where at least 500 people and/or at least 33% of the population lives more than 1 mile away from a supermarket or grocery store, but 10 miles if it is a rural area (Ploeg et al, 2011). These areas are known as census tracts, which are small, relatively permanent subdivisions of a county with about 1,200 to 8,000 people. The spatial size of these census tracts can vary depending on the population density of the area (USCB, Sep., 2019).

There are about 23 million people living across over 6,000 food deserts in America, and about 5.6% of the population lives in a low access census tract as of 2019. Additionally, food deserts too often stem from racist projects and policies, with 30% more non-white residents dealing with limited food access to supermarkets compared to white residents (Karpyn et al., 2017).

Food deserts force the people to eat unhealthy foods for prolonged periods of time, negatively changing their diet. Olivia Taylor, a public health board member for Black Women in Charge, states that food insecurity, which is a consequence of food deserts, can lead to lessened food literacy due to residents having to repeatedly eat unhealthy food.

 They are not used to seeing healthy, affordable options, so they do not learn to make food decisions well, and even when those resources become available to them, they do not always change their diet (Bloomington Government, 2018). These diets include fast food and cheap, unhealthy foods that can lead to increased risk of obesity, cancer, heart disease and other serious conditions, which puts already disadvantaged groups in a worse position (Ohio University).  

This report will cover two cities with food insecurity issues from food deserts in urban areas of Indiana, including Bloomington and Indianapolis. It will provide details as to where the food deserts are located, who is impacted by them and ways we can combat the issue to provide everyone with equal, affordable access to healthy food.

Bloomington

Bloomington contains several food deserts, and according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 4% of Monroe County’s population has limited access to nutritious, affordable food (Bloomington Government, 2018). One of Bloomington’s food deserts is on the northeast side of Indiana University’s campus, just inside highway 45, north of Tenth Street and east of College Avenue. The area has many restaurants and convenience stores, mainly on campus, but no supermarkets/grocery stores within 1 mile. There are also a few food deserts on the west side of town, which is where many low income and minority residents live. In 2015, a census tract in a food desert just south of Bloomfield Rd. in the southwest side of town had a poverty rate of 28.7%, and another on the northwest side of town near the Arlington area had a poverty rate of 55%, and the median family income in that tract was $12,000 (USDA, 2020).

Despite the Black population in Bloomington only making up 3.9% of Bloomington, 9% of the residents in these areas are African American, displaying the common theme of food deserts arising in low income, minority areas (USCB, July 2019). The southeast side of town does not have food deserts, and the median income in those census tracts that are east and south of Winslow Sports Park ranged from 90,000 - 113,000 (USDA, 2020). 

Indianapolis

Indianapolis is one of the nation's worst cities in terms of food deserts. In 2019, there were 208,000 people living in food deserts in Indianapolis, which is about 22% of the entire population. The largest food deserts are located around the city, ranging from the northwest, northeast, southeast and southwest corners as well as the far east side of the city. People living in poverty are about 50% more likely to live in a food desert in Indianapolis compared to people who are not in poverty (Andres et al, 2019).

About one third of black residents live in different food deserts in Indianapolis, despite not making up 30% of the population, while only 18% of white residents live in food deserts and make up about 60% of the city's population. Additionally, 21% of Latino or Hispanic residents live in food deserts. One third of households do not own cars in these food deserts, making up about 10,500 households. This makes getting healthy food much more difficult unless public transit is available, which still forces people to rely on a different schedule and route (Andres et al, 2019).

1. White Residents in Indy: 61%
2. White Residents in Food Deserts in Indy: 18%
3. Black Residents in Indy: 28.5%
4. Black Residents in Food Deserts in Indy: 32%
5. Latino/Hispanic Residents in Indy: 9%
6. Latino/Hispanic Residents in Food Deserts in Indy: 21%

(Data gathered from US Census Bureau, July 2019 and Andres et al, 2019)

Solutions

The issue of food deserts is highly problematic in both Indianapolis and Bloomington. It disproportionately impacts minority residents and arises from ignorant, racist and/or classist projects and policies that put people at a disadvantage. In order to assure everyone gets access to healthy, affordable food, each city must develop solutions that meet their personal needs, as different environments and people can foster different skills. In Bloomington, there are places such as the Bloomington Community Orchard that grow natural food to be shared with the whole community. It is maintained by volunteers, and residents in the area can assist by planting various fruits or vegetables that are within the Orchards capability. Shopping locally at Bloomington farmers markets can build local food supply in the long run which can help alleviate some food insecurity by giving healthy options. To ensure equitable food access, it will be important to advocate for projects that get food resources into the hands of minority residents and low income residents, such as donating to food banks in low income areas and building healthy food sources in the area (Bloomington Government, 2018).

Indianapolis is in the middle of a ton of farmland, so it is odd that there is rampant food insecurity in the city. Luckily, Indianapolis has the potential to produce lots of food using urban gardening, a practice that has gained momentum, growing from 54 community gardens in 2011 to 147 in 2016. One church even turned one of their baseball fields into a garden. These policies are important, and they must be advocated for in minority areas where food insecurity is disproportionately present (Andres, 2018).

Conclusion

Food deserts are a big issue in the United States that lead to food insecurity that negatively impacts people’s health and puts them at a disadvantage. It is an issue among many that disproportionately impacts minorities and people living in poverty and every individual, local, state and federal government must assist in solving the issue in a manner that provides every single person equal access to affordable, healthy food.

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