Grocery Store Acess Patterns in Rural Food Deserts

Abstract

Many small rural towns have lost local grocery stores to larger, more centralized towns. As a result they become food deserts, places with no or few proximate food stores. This study examines differences among rural food desert residents and their access to grocery store patterns. We find that households in two rural lowa counties regularly shop two grocery stores weekly and travel about 18 minutes each way. While most residents of these counties use their own vehicle to obtain food, older persons and those with limited incomes are more likely to be dependent on family, friends, neighbors and others. Sixteen percent of open country compared to 11 percent of rural town residents regularly shop for food out-of-county at supercenters, discount and wholesale food stores. An increasingly rural aging population suggests lower mobility, isolation, and future access to food store concerns as retail food consolidation continues. Policy makers need to examine rural transportation systems and develop an infra-structure that links elderly and low-income individuals to retail food sources on a regular basis.