Food Access: the discussion on food deserts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14482/indes.23.2.6970Keywords:
sociology of food; food retail; public health; food availability; rural.Abstract
"Food desert" refers to those territorial areas characterized by a lack of food retail. Early studies placed them in socially disadvantaged neighborhoods of cities, whose limited to healthy and affordable food access determine the diet and health of the inhabitants. However, these claims haven’t been without controversy. The aim of this paper is a theoretical approach to the concept and discussion on "food deserts". Thus, first, it defines what are these ones and what are the main contributions discussed. Then, the paper addresses the debate that has arisen in recent years about the possible existence of food deserts in different countries and describes the methodology used to perform on this type of study. Finally, we show the complexity of study of food access because of several factors involved in the food supply and consumption.
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