Indicator: Access to Fresh Food
Data and Data Discussion provided by Sustainable Seattle
Sustainability Snapshot:
Low-income neighborhoods have fewer grocery stores than wealthier areas and there is less produce and less fresh produce. What prevents the just distribution of food is a refection of both global and local inequalities associated with racial and class disparities. Rates of obesity go up with an increase in distance to the nearest grocery. An encouraging counter trend has been the growth in the number of farmers markets, from 10 in Central Puget Sound in 2000 to 55 in 2008.
Sustainability Trend:
“While some areas at risk of food insecurity are served by grocery stores, several other areas are not. In areas that are not well served by grocery stores, food insecure households likely face economic and social barriers as well as geographic barriers.” (Acting Food Policy Council, 2008). As this is a new indicator, trend data are not available.
Data Discussion
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Additional Resources
- Sound Food Report: Enhancing Seattle's Food System
This 2006 report characterizes the Seattle food system and recommends ways to enhance the functions of the food system, particularly in relation to environmental and social sustainability.
- No easy access to fresh groceries in many parts of Seattle
Location of grocery stores and transit options by neighborhood limit Seattle residents' options for fresh food.
- Report: Acting Food Policy Council, Mapping Food Insecurity and Access in Seattle and King County
This 2008 report by University of Washington and Washington State University Extension researchers for the Seattle King County Acting Food Policy Council shows how food insecurity and food access vary across the region.
