Abundant in Food Yet Scarce in Nutrition: The Underrepresented Dichotomy of Urban Food Swamps

By Claire Farber, Environmental Studies ‘26

Food Swamp (Image Credit: David McNew/Getty Images)

“Food deserts,” areas correlated with areas lacking access to nutritious, affordable, fresh foods, have been increasing in prominence alongside industrialization. Whether they’re rural or urban, communities home to high poverty rates, historically BIPOC communities, insufficient vehicle availability, and poor public transit systems are most likely to be designated as food deserts in the United States.

Due to these distinct characteristics, areas classified as food deserts are simple to discern; however, they are often challenging to differentiate from a more niche term–“food swamp.” Mainly thrown around in college courses and scientific journals, the phrase specifically describes urban areas with a 4:1 ratio of unhealthy food options to healthy options, with fast-food and corner shop access massively outweighing that of organic, local produce. Decreased availability leads to increased demand, allowing health stores to jack their prices. Therefore, in food swamps, nutritional health is contingent on economic status.

The walkable nature of urban living reduces the need to own a personal vehicle, with rising costs of gas and parking spaces acting as further disincentives. Most city dwellers opt for public transit, an option that saves money but occupies time. In food swamps, many citizens cannot afford the time required to take public transit to the nearest grocer offering healthy foods, instead choosing to commute to their neighborhood corner store. Miles closer and significantly more affordable, the popularity of these options feels intrinsic within food swamps.

Seattle is comprised of areas (tracts) classified as food deserts by the USDA, including Delridge, a district of West Seattle. However, Delridge is better categorized as a food swamp as a product of its urban nature and plethora of unhealthy food options. Due to these features, residents of Delridge experience higher rates of ailments associated with poor nutrition, such as cancer, heart disease, and obesity, than the Seattle city average. Furthermore, a 2020 census report found that 72.3% of residents are not consuming the recommended minimum daily intake of fruits and vegetables.

However, Delridge features a unique solution to mitigate the frequency of food swamp-induced health issues. The Cascadia Fresh Market acts as an organic oasis within an area without access to fresh produce within a two mile radius. The majority of Cascadia’s foods are sourced through recovery and redirection: trucks carrying large pallets of perfectly edible food rejected by retail distributors will arrive at Cascadia's warehouse in Auburn, WA, instead of unloading into a landfill. In addition to their recovery and redirection programs, Cascadia sources from small, BIPOC, and woman-owned farms across Washington State. The Fresh Market acts as a temporary solution to a seemingly ever-present problem; one that should not have to be mitigated through community initiatives, but through high-level changes to our food system.