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

Examples of food desert in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For Jaree, that framing ignores time scarcity, food deserts, or financial strain. —Michelle Beadle Holder, SELF, 16 Mar. 2026

How to mitigate a food desert in the area? —Angela George, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 5 Mar. 2026

Stepped in to prevent food desert Concerned that closure would again blight the area and re‑create a food desert, CBKC entered negotiations to acquire the grocery operation and assume Lipari Brothers’ lease. —Robert A. Cronkleton march 5, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2026

And food deserts disproportionately affect people of color. —Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above