food desert

American  

noun

1. an area, usually low-income, in which many residents cannot easily get to stores that sell affordable, healthful foods.

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Etymology

Origin of food desert

First recorded in 1995–2000

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

food desert

I hadn’t lived in a food desert, though there were plenty close enough to me.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026

Union is also what is termed a "food desert", where many residents live far from the nearest supermarket.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2025

Losing weight can be great for your health, but it’s pretty challenging if you live in a food desert or can’t afford medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro.

From Slate ● Jan. 1, 2025

I can tell you from growing up there, with all the things that we went through in the ’80s and ’90s, that Crenshaw Boulevard has never been a food desert.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2023

That was before South Shore became a food desert, before eviction and crime rates rose, before the pandemic drove even more businesses and people from the area.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 3, 2023