FOOD ENVIRONMENT AND OBESITY IN DETROIT
FUTURE OF FOOD EQUITY
Policy and programs have the potential to reshape Detroit's food environment and solve the obesity crisis at the roots.
ZONING POLICIES
Some zoning laws limit the number of fast-food restaurants within a certain area of the city. A zoning code established in Detroit for over two decades “prohibit[s] most fast-food restaurants from being built within 500 feet of all elementary, junior, and senior high schools” (Corporations, 2020).
SUBSIDIZATION
More positive incentivization efforts indicate promising results using existing infrastructure. A shift away from “restriction” policy could manifest in the implementation of “monetary incentives to existing food stores to stock healthy food items [or] the… subsidization of farmers’ markets… to facilitate access to fresh fruits and vegetables” (Chen and Florax, 2010).
FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
The food sovereignty movement consists of the joint reclaiming of land and food in the city, empowering “communities that have long been disenfranchised by corruption” (Hill, 2015).
One way to do this is by community-initiated urban agriculture programs, the purpose of which is to increase access to affordable, nutritious food, build sustainable food systems, and foster connection between food and land (Hill, 2015).
Educational efforts bridge the food equity gap too. Master's student Alex Hill conducted research on Detroit’s food environment in 2015, and contributed to food sovereignty efforts through the creation of the “Detroit Food Map”. Essentially, the goal of this initiative is to “consistently [conduct] survey assessments of Detroit’s neighborhood grocery landscape for availability, price, and quality of healthful foods” (Hill, 2015).
The following graph is a survey of conflicting Detroit food maps, identifying grocery stores, food deserts, and pockets of neighborhood food imbalance.
Learn more about the Detroit Food Map below (scroll past the error message!)
