Featured Resource
Access to Healthy Foods in Low-Income Neighborhoods: Opportunities for Public Policy

Income, race/ethnicity and location contribute to disparities in access to healthy food, according to a recent policy report prepared by Roberta Friedman, the Rudd Center’s Director of Public Policy. The report, “Access to Healthy Foods in Low-Income Neighborhoods: Opportunities for Public Policy,” also summarizes key studies that support the need for better access to healthy foods and outlines opportunities for policy makers to improve access. The report reinforces the findings of a recent paper coauthored by Tatiana Andreyeva, a Rudd Center Postdoctoral Research Associate. The paper, “Availability and Prices of Foods Across Stores and Neighborhoods: The Case of New Haven, Connecticut,” was published in the September/October 2008 issue of Health Affairs. The researchers found that high rates of obesity and diabetes in poor and minority populations are linked to limited access to supermarkets and affordable healthy foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy, trans fat free products, whole grains and lean meats. “We want to spread the word that expanding access to healthful foods is a win-win situation for communities, individuals and businesses, as well as policy makers,” said Friedman. Policy makers can increase access by improving public transportation to grocery stores, providing lighting and police patrols near grocery stores, offering incentives for purchse of refrigeration equipment to store fresher and healthier products and offering tax breaks to appeal to supermarkets. Successful initiatives have taken place in cities across the United States, including New York City, Austin, Milwaukee and Oakland.