“Food Swamps” Are Expanding Across the U.S.

The Trend: You probably know about “food deserts,” (neighborhoods where there’s no or little access to healthy foods), but have you heard of a “food swamp”? It refers to an area where fast-food restaurants and convenience stores outnumber grocery stores, making healthy eating an uphill battle — and both food deserts and swamps are on the rise across the U.S. Between 2003 and 2023, the share of communities classified as food swamps increased from 80.2% to 88.5%.

What People Are Saying: Research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference found that people living in neighborhoods with more concentrated unhealthy food environments had 13% higher odds of stroke than those in neighborhoods with lower concentrations. Limited food access is also linked to higher rates of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, with public transit users and people in lower-income communities often affected the most. 

What to Know: Your zip code dictates food access in ways that have nothing to do with personal choices. But local governments can step in to reduce the “swamp” of less nutritious food options by supporting alternative outlets for nutritious foods, such as community-supported agriculture, mobile markets, and urban gardens.