Community Corner

Parts of Prince George's County Declared Food Deserts by the USDA

Areas of College Park and Southern Prince George's County included in USDA findings.

Grocery stores can be hard to come by in Prince George’s County—so difficult, in fact, that the USDA has determined several areas of the county are food deserts.

An interactive map created by the Economic Research Service of the USDA, called the Food Access Research Atlas, highlights areas of the county where citizens have low access to grocery stores or fresh food.

Individuals in a food desert often live a significant distance away from fresh food sources and may not have access to vehicles, which could help them travel to grocery stores, according to the USDA.

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The USDA identifies a significant distance as anywhere between a half mile or a mile for urban areas and 10 to 20 miles for rural areas.

Although the USDA designates College Park as a low access, low income area, the situation is not as dire as it appears.

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Approximately 80 percent of residents live in group quarters, such as residence halls and apartments, according to the USDA. The ERS does not count institutional cafeterias or retail food services, which are the primary food providers for students at the University of Maryland.

University of Maryland students may make up most of the low-income population in the city, but they have greater access to fresh food, with a number of dining halls and farmers markets within walking distance.

Michael Stiefvater, the College Park Economic Development Coordinator, said that the two main grocery stores in College Park, MOM’s Organic Market and Shoppers, can be difficult for the student population to access.

“We do have two grocery stores in the city—MOM's and Shoppers off of Cherry Hill Road—so if you’re tabulating the distance, that’s definitely more than a mile,” Stiefvater said.

When it comes to determining that College Park is a low-income area, Stiefvater said that the USDA is likely taking student incomes into consideration.

“It’s swayed a bit because there are a lot of students, and if you look at the income levels of those who reside in College Park for the majority of the year, they go down a bit,” Stiefvater said.

He added that the student incomes do not fairly represent the income levels of permanent residents.

“They do play a big role,” Stiefvater said. “I think that’s why we’re categorized as low income. Otherwise that wouldn’t be the case.”

David Iannucci, an economic development advisor to County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, said that the Baker administration is committed to improving food access for all, especially along the Beltway and in Southern Prince George’s County.

“Since day one of the Baker administration, we have a made a policy of addressing issues of fresh food, produce, fruits and vegetables in all of our communities,” Iannucci said.

The county is currently conducting a study, called the Food Systems Study for Prince George’s County, to identify neighborhoods that have poor access to grocery stores.

This research includes distributing online surveys and following up with focus groups, said Gul Guleryuz, a county planner.

Derick Berlage, the chief of county-wide planning for Prince George’s County, said that while he can not delineate the results yet, the data is similar to the USDA findings.

“What we are finding is certainly not inconsistent with what the USDA found,” Berlage said.

Berlage said the abundance of big box stores, convenience shops at gas stations and fast food restaurants give consumers more food options, but healthy options are reduced because full-service grocery stores are leaving communities.

“In this new industry structure, there are people who have access to good healthy food the way they used to, and in some areas of the county the answer is that they don’t have access to healthy food,” he said.

Berlage said that some of the solutions include introducing more full-service grocery stores, encouraging retailers to provide healthier options, establishing more farmers markets, organizing community gardens and furthering public education on healthy lifestyles.

“The solution to the problem requires us to attack it on many different fronts,” Berlage said.

Iannucci said that farmers markets can help eliminate food deserts.

“I think they are a good part of the solution, but not the only solution because of their seasonality,” he said. “They help our farmers by giving them a greater market for their produce and citizens access to local food.”

Find out if you live in a food desert or if your neighbors have limited access to groceries with the Food Access Research Atlas.

Already know your community is a food desert? How does it affect your daily routine and the health of your family? Share your experience in the comments below.


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