12-7 NWR Food Deserts

12-7 NWR Food Deserts

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
I had never heard of such things until a month or so ago, but now I have learned there is an active movement in the Northwest to eliminate the growing problem of food deserts, which the United States Department of Agriculture defines as a low-income area where residents have low access to a supermarket or grocery store.

Current legislation on the local and federal levels is in place to attempt expanding access to fruits and vegetables in areas that are under-served by the industry. But are these policies effective?

New research by Agricultural and Applied Economics Association member Linlin Fan looks into the welfare of consumers, and gives a new look into why supermarkets may not be going up inside these food deserts where, for years, people have said they are most-needed.

Elsewhere it has been reported that President-elect Donald Trump

is considering North Dakota Democratic Sen. Heidi Hycamp to be Tom Vilsack's replacement as Secretary of Agriculture. As the 114th Congress ends this month, the most pressing issue to tackle during the lame-duck session for lawmakers is again passing a budget resolution.

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