food desert
noun
: an area where little fresh produce is available for sale
Despite the common perception of food deserts as city neighborhoods where fast food chains and convenience stores dominate, many of Kansas' food deserts are in rural areas. In some, residents have to drive 20 miles or farther to find a source of healthful food.—
Megan Hart
Megan HartExamples of food desert in a Sentence
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Helping pantries like Greater Mount Sinai, which Stienstra said is in an area that's a food desert and has no additional food pantries, is important.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
And affordable, healthy groceries are even harder to come by in rural food deserts.
—Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025
The area is a food desert, meaning a third of the neighborhood’s population lives more than a mile from a grocery store.
—Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2025
The existence of food deserts in the area, according to the report, is shaped by a number of factors, from historic ones like segregation and redlining to modern-day cuts to SNAP food assistance.
—Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for food desert
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La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025
And affordable, healthy groceries are even harder to come by in rural food deserts.
—Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025
The area is a food desert, meaning a third of the neighborhood’s population lives more than a mile from a grocery store.
—Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2025
The existence of food deserts in the area, according to the report, is shaped by a number of factors, from historic ones like segregation and redlining to modern-day cuts to SNAP food assistance.
—Austin Hornbostel, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for food desert
Cite this Entry
“Food desert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/food%20desert. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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