I developed this game in order to draw attention to a big problem in our country regarding the access to healthy food in urban areas. This problem is known as a food desert and it is defined as parts of our country that does not have adequate access to fresh fruit, vegetables and other whole foods. This is largely due to the lack of grocery stores, framer’s markets and other healthy food providers within 1 mile of where people live that do not have a car.

The USDA’s Economic Research Service has identified more than 6,500 food desert tracts in the United States based on studying the 2000 Census and 2006 data on locations of supermarkets and large grocery stores.

This has become a problem in urban areas which may not have grocery stores but do have many convenience stores that offer addictive junk food that is loaded with sugar, salt and fats that are known to be contributors to our nation’s obesity epidemic. The problem is so big that the USDA has outlined a map of our nation’s food deserts that I am displaying below.

Linked here is a 36 Page USDA report: https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/45014/30940_err140.pdf?v=41156