Macon Magazine

February/March 2026 | maconmagazine.com 57 including heart disease, obesity, and diabetes, according to the National Institutes of Health. Food deserts are one of the most powerful drivers of food insecurity, and they are correlated with worse outcomes for children's academic success and long-term health. This becomes known as a "social determinant of health" and can have cascading effects. For example, a pregnant woman with gestational diabetes in a food desert may only have a fast-food restaurant in a walkable distance to her and may have to decide between relying on that or taking a long, arduous, and possibly unsafe journey to get fresh food. When access to fresh food is limited by gaps in infrastructure, residents in food deserts are often reliant on prepackaged convenience foods that are available in neighborhood convenience stores that are more easily accessible, albeit significantly more expensive and less nutritious. stores and fresh foods is a key component of healthy communities, and neighborhoods that don't have convenient access to healthy foods experience a host of issues, ranging from hunger to chronic health impacts. Like many areas across the country, Macon has its own challenges when it comes to food access. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has two criteria for an area to be labeled as a food desert: 1 At least 20% of the population is living at 80% of the area median income (AMI) or below and 2 At least 33% of the population lives at least one mile from a large grocery store. Areas in south Macon and along Pio Nono Avenue qualify as food deserts. The severity of the impact of food deserts in communities is also affected by factors like access (or lack thereof) to transit, safe pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure, income disparities, and the ability to use a personal vehicle for transportation. All of these factors influence the availability of fresh, healthy foods in a given neighborhood. A lack of access to fresh food has serious ramifications for community health and well-being. Areas designated as food deserts experience higher rates of chronic health conditions, W H A T I S T H E S O L U T I O N ? With limited direct control over where grocers locate stores, communities have to get creative to ensure all residents have access to healthy foods. Across the country, the food justice movement is fighting for solutions to ensure that all people have access to ample healthy food options. According to Boston University, food justice is broadly defined as a movement that "works to ensure universal access to nutritious, affordable, and culturally- appropriate food for all, while advocating for the well-being and safety of those involved in the food production process". It's not a structured, formal movement but more of a broad, wide-ranging framework whose aim is reimagining our food system as one designed to meet community needs. The aim of the food justice movement is to empower local communities to become involved in producing and distributing food in a sustainable way that promotes resiliency and independence. While cities may not be able to instruct a grocery store to keep a location open or open new locations in food deserts, "With limited direct control over where grocers locate stores, communities have to get creative to ensure all residents have access to healthy foods."

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