According to a graphic created by Alessia Modjarrad, College Democrats of Indiana president, many areas in Bloomington, including parts of IU’s campus, are food deserts.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a food desert as a low-income census tract, in which the poverty rate is at least 20%. Those living in food deserts in urban areas have to drive one mile and people in rural areas have to drive 10 miles to get to the nearest grocery store.
College Democrats of Indiana posted eight graphics Jan. 26, created by Modjarrad, identifying food deserts in Indiana college towns such as Bloomington, West Lafayette and Indianapolis.
Some of the areas highlighted on the Bloomington food desert map include areas such as some of the residence halls north of East 10th Street because dining halls or C-stores do not count as supermarkets. Modjarrad said she created graphics of these college towns so students could see how much this issue affects people in their community and fellow students.
“Based on the map, you can kind of assume that there are going to be some college students involved,” she said. “It kind of brings the issue home.”
Modjarrad created the graphics using the USDA's online food access research atlas map. She adjusted the map to highlight the areas that are low-income census tracts where fewer than 100 housing units have a vehicle and are more than 0.5 miles away from the nearest grocery store or fresh food in yellow.
If people do not have access to fresh or healthy food they tend to eat items that are convenient and unhealthy, such as fast food, which can make them more prone to chronic illnesses, such as heart disease or diabetes, Modjarrad said. This can be a big problem if these people also don’t have access to good health care.
Modjarrad said she got the inspiration for the graphic after seeing an Instagram post about food deserts in Indianapolis from the Black Women in Charge organization.
Olivia Taylor, a public health department board member for BWiC, said food insecurity can also affect people’s food literacy, which is an understanding of how food choices affect people’s health and environment. The lack of food literacy can cause them to continue to choose unhealthy foods in the future even if they eventually have easy access to a grocery store.
Taylor also said this issue disproportionately affects Black people and Black women, who experience higher rates of body dysmorphia, childhood obesity and poor mental health.
“Black women are suffering from obesity the most in the country,” Taylor said. “So, as a Black woman, it’s important to figure out: Why are we suffering from obesity at a higher rate? and what can we do to help?”
Sam Waterman, College Democrats at Indiana University president, said it is important to remember that some college students suffer from food insecurity and supermarkets can be difficult to access from campus.
“There’s not really access to grocery stores unless you have a car,” she said. “A lot of times campus dining just doesn’t really cut it.”
Modjarrad said she hopes after looking at the graphics that people are inspired to help in this area by reaching out to government officials. Modjarrad said students should reach out to their representatives to discuss Senate bill 170, which would establish a food desert grant program.
People can also help by volunteering and donating food items, Modjarrad said. She suggests students use their remaining I-Bucks at the end of the semester to purchase nonperishable food and donate it.
Taylor said she wants people who see information presented on this issue to recognize the issue and hopes that they act on it.
“More than anything,” she said, “I hope that they see there is a problem if they hadn’t seen it before.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: Alessia Modjarrad is an opinion writer for the Indiana Daily Student.
