Embedded Files
The title of “food desert” has been both accepted and refuted in Detroit. The majority of academic researchers lean towards labeling Detroit as a food desert, however others have come to that conclusion without adequate research into price and accessibility of foods the term is not helpful. Counting chain supermarkets and the one-mile radius around those locations does not give an accurate picture of food availability or access to quality fresh foods.
Our goal is to bring together the Detroit food community in order to build a base of data to inform community organizations, non-profits, and foundations in improving access to healthy foods in Detroit’s food system.
This project is focused on juxtaposing data collected from objective surveys of the food landscape with perceptions and documented foodways of Detroit residents. There is no single truth in researching Detroit's food system, there are many layered and intersectional truths that require equal attention.
Detroit Food Metrics Report
Detroit Food Security and Food Benefits
Food Purchasing, Perceptions, and Pathways
Publication (2022). Refining the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS) for Healthy Community Stores: Adaptations to Capture Alternative Food Retailers and Align with Dietary Guidelines. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19, 12875.
Article (2020). “Independent Grocers, Vulnerable Residents, and Community Coalitions: We’re All Essential!.” Gastronomica.
Publication (2020). “Detroit’s Food and Water Landscapes.” [Chapter 7, Maps]. A People’s Atlas of Detroit: Antipode, Wayne State University Press.
Publication (2019). Using social media to assess the consumer nutrition environment: comparing Yelp reviews with a direct observation audit instrument for grocery stores. Public health nutrition, 1-8.
Presentation (2016, May) Nutritional Assessments and Urban Foodways. Michigan State University College of Medicine faculty and students, Flint, MI.
Conference (2014, November). Fruit and Vegetable Availability, Quality, & Consumption in Detroit’s Food Desert among African American Adolescents with Obesity. Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, New Orleans, LA. (Link)
Article (2014). Charting Healthy Food Access in Detroit, One Map at a Time. Epicurious. (Link)
Article (2014). Detroit’s Grocers Seek Fresh Image. Detroit News. (Link)
Article (2013). Detroit Food Map Helps Answer the Question: Is Detroit a Food Desert or Not? I Am Young Detroit. (Link)
Report (2024) Detroit Food Metrics Report 2023. Detroit, MI: Detroit Food Policy Council.
Report (2023) Detroit Food Metrics Report 2022. Detroit, MI: Detroit Food Policy Council.
Report (2022) Detroit Food Metrics Report 2020 (with 2021 Update). Detroit, MI: Detroit Food Policy Council.
Report (2020) Detroit Food Metrics Report 2019. Detroit, MI: Detroit Food Policy Council.
Report (2019) Detroit Food Metrics Report 2018. Detroit, MI: Detroit Food Policy Council and Detroit Health Department.
Report (2018) Detroit Food Metrics Report 2017. Detroit, MI: Detroit Food Policy Council and Detroit Health Department.
Report (2022, August) Detroit Food Survey: A Qualitative Examination of the Detroit Food System Response to COVID-19. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University.
Publication (2021). Food insecurity in Detroit: Exploring the relationship between patient-reported food insecurity and proximity to healthful grocery stores. Public Health Nutrition, 1-24. doi:10.1017/S1368980021003128
Panel (2016, August). Healthier Food Access. Sanger Leadership Series/Impact Challenge, University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
Publication (2021). “Treat Everybody Right:” Examining Foodways to Improve Food Access. Journal of Food Systems and Community Development, 10(3), 1-8.
Publication (2017) “A Critical Discourse on Detroit’s ‘Food Desert’ Metaphor.” Food and Foodways.
Publication (2017) “Using Social Media to Identify Sources of Healthy Food in Urban Neighborhoods.” Journal of Urban Health.
Article (2015). “Urban Agriculture in Detroit: It’s not a ‘Food Desert,’ it’s about Food Sovereignty.” Progressive Planning: State of Planning in Detroit.
Conference (2015, November) “Treat Everybody Right:” Food Purchasing and Perceptions in Detroit. American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
Interview (2016) “Anthropology and Urban Foodways.” Anthropology News.
Panel (2014, December). (Re)Defining Food in the 21st Century. Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association (AAA), Washington D.C.
Op-Ed (2014) Food desert a myth, but food security issues aren’t. Detroit News. (Link)
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse