Detroit food desert puts lives in danger

Date: June 20, 2007
By: ALEJANDRO BODIPO-MEMBA, FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
Source: Detroit Free Press

Study: Urban families suffering

A new study sponsored by LaSalle Bank found that about 550,000 people in Detroit live in a so-called food desert and must travel twice as far to reach the closest mainstream grocer as they do to get to a fringe location, such as a party store, gas station or a fast-food restaurant.

Leaders of metro Detroit's public health and community development sectors met at the Detroit Athletic Club on Tuesday to discuss the study's findings on the impact that a lack of healthy foods and grocery stores in Detroit has on the population.
A food desert is defined as "an area that has no or very distant mainstream grocers."

The study's author, Mari Gallagher, spoke about the problems that have led to the vast food imbalance in the nation's 11th-largest city and offered public policy strategies to create greater access to healthy foods for urban families.

"It is no secret that Detroit, like many other cities, will suffer from disease at problem levels," said Phyllis Meadows, director and public health officer for the city. "These conditions impact everyone, and they are bigger than any one solution."

LaSalle commissioned the Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group in Chicago to look at how a lack of healthy food options in Detroit is contributing to the devolution of the city's public health care system and the local economy.

"Detroit is far out of balance when it comes to food choices ... and is an even tougher place in which to do simple things, such as make a trip to the grocery store," Gallagher said. "We see a strong statistical relationship between food and health, and the bottom line is that unless access to healthy food greatly improves, Detroit residents will continue to have greater rates of premature illness and death compared to residents who live in areas with healthy food options."

Gallagher measured the distance from every block in the city and the surrounding metro area to the closest grocery store, fast-food restaurant and other food venues.

The biggest contributor to food deserts, Gallagher said, is that the primary retailers of USDA food stamps are convenience stores, liquor stores and pharmacies. Only 8% of all Detroit food retailers that accept food stamps are grocery stores or supermarkets, the study found.

The study suggests that Detroiters will die younger than their metro Detroit counterparts as a result of the stark food imbalance in the city. Statistically, residents lose a combined 11 years of life for every 100 people in Detroit compared to 7 years of life lost throughout metro Detroit.

For information, go to www.marigallagher.com.

Contact ALEJANDRO BODIPO-MEMBA at 313-222-5008 or abodipo@freepress.com.