When Mary Edwards heads to the grocery store, she worries about the price of eggs and milk. But the Richmond resident has another concern: coming up with the $10 it takes to get her to the nearest grocery store several miles away.
"There is nothing close by," she said. "I have to pay folks to get to the store."
Edwards is one of thousands of people living in inner cities and rural areas nationwide who are faced with few options for purchasing healthy, reasonably priced basic food because of a shortage of grocery stores near their homes. For them, the corner store or a fast-food restaurant is usually the most convenient food option, but the choices there tend to be overpriced, processed foods.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 11 percent of all U.S. households have trouble accessing groceries from established grocers — who traditionally have higher quality-control systems, more fresh fruits, vegetables and meats, and lower prices because of their buying power. The USDA calls areas with limited access to quality groceries "food deserts."
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