Food swamp
A food swamp is a geographic area in which there is a dearth of healthful food choices and instead there is ample access to fast and processed foods. A food swamp may include a large number of convenience stores featuring processed foods, snacks, soft drinks and candy but few supermarkets or specialty food stores, such as bakeries and butcher shops, where fresher foodstuffs can be purchased.
Access to food intersects with access to affordable housing as lower income residents must often balance their food budget against their housing costs.
Some public health and good food advocates want new development to be pegged to access to healthful foods. For example, Debbie Field, executive director of FoodShare, a Toronto non-profit organization that works with communities and schools to deliver healthy food and food education would like "to see Toronto adopt a rule that when new housing is built there has to be access to healthy food within walking distance."
See also
- Food_desert
- Food oasis
References
Warren, M. (2015, November 10). Are you living in an unhealthy food swamp? The Toronto Star. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com/