US Food Environment Atlas

See below for information about a new US Food Environment Atlas, created to gather and present statistical information on access to food in the US.

From the USDA Food Environment Atlas website:

The U.S. Food Environment Atlas

Food environment factors—such as store/restaurant proximity, food prices, food and nutrition assistance programs, and community characteristics—interact to influence food choices and diet quality. Research is beginning to document the complexity of these interactions, but more is needed to identify causal relationships and effective policy interventions.

Objectives of the Atlas:

  • To assemble statistics on food environment indicators to stimulate research on the determinants of food choices and diet quality
  • To provide a spatial overview of a community’s ability to access healthy food and its success in doing so

This tool maps:
 
·         Access and proximity to grocery stores
·         Availability of food stores
·         Availability of restaurants
·         Expenditures of food at restaurants
·         Food assistance
·         Food eaten at home
·         Food insecurity
·         Food prices (at stores, not restaurants)
·         Food taxes
·         Health
·         Local foods
·         Physical activity levels & outlets
·         Socioeconomic characteristics
 
Click here to view the tool: http://maps.ers.usda.gov/FoodAtlas/

Posted in Food Justice Blog Posts.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *