Virtual Solutions to Food Deserts

A food desert is a neighborhood that lacks access to supermarkets or affordable, nutritious food choices. Having to travel to find good food is an inconvenience to anyone. In these deserts, shoppers from lower income households are more likely to find themselves walking to nearby convenience stores, where fresh produce and other healthy options are hard to find and often come with a high price for a low quality product.

There are a variety of possible strategies for improving food options in neighborhoods without many choices, some of which are outlined in a 2009 report to congress on "Access to Affordable and Nutritious Foods."

Online grocers are becoming part of the toolbox for addressing food deserts. While these grocers are only one part of the solution, they have the advantage of not requiring any infrastructure development; if there is a road and a drop off point then grocery delivery can occur.

The City of Baltimore recently launched the Virtual Supermarket Project. The project has started with a partnership between public libraries, Santoni Supermarket, and the Department of Health. Customers go to the library at a given time to place their online orders. Using the library means that no one is left out if they don't have Internet at home. Submitting one combined order means that no single customer has to worry about minimum order requirements, and the Department of Health pays the delivery fee. Customers who order come back in the next business day to pick up their food.

In Chicago, food desert research by Mari Gallagher has informed a partnership between Peapod grocery delivery service and Neighbor Capital to pilot online programs that improve food access in high risk city blocks. First, Peapod expanded its service territory into identified food deserts, finding that their regular grocery selections cost less and were higher quality than the convenience or liquor store offerings previously available. Now, a new program called Fresh Today delivers low-priced Peapod fruit packages to community sites that combine orders from local residents and organizations.

Virtual grocers aren't the complete solution to eliminating food deserts, but they are an example of how online tools can allow a quick response to critical issues.