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
Recent Examples on the Web
The Agriculture Department previously identified around 6,500 food deserts between 2000 and 2006.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2025
This new market is filling a void in the community and helping to eradicate a food desert.
—Christopher Derose, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Many tribal communities are food deserts, so tribes and nonprofits who work with them have been trying to increase access to local food sources.
—Aaron Bolton, NPR, 30 Nov. 2025
Launched in 2013, the organization connects families in food deserts with fresh harvests, nutrition education, and paid work maintaining neighborhood gardens.
—Emily Bramhall, Miami Herald, 20 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for food desert
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Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2025
This new market is filling a void in the community and helping to eradicate a food desert.
—Christopher Derose, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Many tribal communities are food deserts, so tribes and nonprofits who work with them have been trying to increase access to local food sources.
—Aaron Bolton, NPR, 30 Nov. 2025
Launched in 2013, the organization connects families in food deserts with fresh harvests, nutrition education, and paid work maintaining neighborhood gardens.
—Emily Bramhall, Miami Herald, 20 Nov. 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 21 Dec. 2025.
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