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Indianapolis among cities most hurt by so-called food deserts

File Photo/Federated Media

A national health ranking puts Indy among the cities most hurt by so-called food deserts.

The American College of Sports Medicine says more than one in six Indianapolis residents lacks ready access to nutritious food, either because they can’t afford it or don’t have a nearby store offering more than snack food.. That’s the 10th-worst in the group’s rankings of the 100 largest U-S cities.

Indy Hunger Network executive director Kate Howe says poverty affects both ends of food insecurity. If a neighborhood doesn’t have a customer base with the money to go grocery shopping, stores won’t open there and a food desert will develop.

The A-C-S-M says gaps in public transportation are often a contributor to food deserts, and Howe says that’s one factor in Indy. And she says about a third of those who are eligible for food stamps don’t sign up.

Ball State economist Michael Hicks suggests part of it is geography. Of the 100 largest cities, Indy is the ninth-largest by area, but with relatively low population density. Two other low-density urban centers, New Orleans and Lubbock, Texas, rank even worse than Indy on the food-desert list.

Howe says her organization has been working to get the word out to people about the federal assistance programs available, though she speculates the low participation rate may reflect not a lack of awareness but a Hoosier independent streak. The Hunger Network also offers cooking classes with a focus on healthy dishes.

Legislators have toyed with the idea of state subsidies to make it financially worthwhile for stores to open in food deserts. Hicks says some large chains like Wal-Mart have experimented with small-box versions of their stores, with fewer different products on the shelves. And he says IndyGo could look at running extra routes on weekends, when people are more likely to do their shopping.

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6 comments

Charles U Farley July 29, 2021 at 10:00 am

You mean to tell me that stores don’t want to open where they will be robbed, looted, and burned to the ground? SAY IT AIN’T SO!

This news is a startling revelation to exactly nobody with a brain, which means all the leftists will be shocked…

Reply
dave July 30, 2021 at 2:06 am

You sound like an ignorant redneck…. Looted thats the best you could come up with when have u heard of someone robbing a grocery store u are a certified clown billy bob the third

Reply
Charles U Farley July 30, 2021 at 7:00 pm

Ever heard of shoplifting? Derp.

Reply
Elizabeth July 30, 2021 at 4:55 am

You feeling okay, buddy? You seem quite unhappy and stressed. Angry, even. Did a malnourished liberal burn your grocery store to the ground?

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Charles U Farley July 30, 2021 at 7:00 pm

You and Dave have apparently not been paying attention. Or perhaps you are both so totally clueless that you have no concept of how the real world works. Stores that cannot make a profit are never opened. Stores that are consistently burned, looted, or robbed have a harder time making a profit. Companies evaluate the area carefully before they invest money in opening a new store.

None of this is difficult, unless you are a moron. This is why you both find it so difficult…

Reply
Indianapolis coalition helps provide food for those in need – The Statehouse File - Hoosier Living March 8, 2022 at 11:38 am

[…] the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, poverty levels have risen in America. Indianapolis is ranked among the most hungry cities in America. According to the Indy Hunger Network, statistics show that about 888,600 people go hungry every […]

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