Food deserts, where residents lack supermarket access, measurably worsen diet quality in the United States.

Is it true that food deserts, where residents lack supermarket access, measurably worsen diet quality in the United States?

Partly. Peer-reviewed reviews and studies partially support that food deserts limit healthy food access and are associated with diet-related disease, while a South Carolina study and a systematic review of children found no significant association between food-desert residence and BMI. No retrieved item directly measures diet quality as an outcome, so the evidence covers only part of the claim and points both ways.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 5 sources for, 2 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Walker, R. E., Keane, C. R., & Burke, J. G. (2010). Disparities and access to healthy food in the United States: A review of food deserts literature.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2010.04.013

Food Shopping and Acquisition Behaviors in Relation to BMI among Residents of Low-Income Communities in South Carolina. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14091075

Preventing Chronic Disease: July 2009: 08_0163. (n.d.). cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2009/jul/08_0163.htm

Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Health Deserts in the Southeastern United States: Socioeconomic Impacts and Diverging Results. (2025). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1353/sgo.0.a959212

The Relationship Between Food Deserts, Farmers' Markets, and Food Assistance Programs in Hawai'i Census Tracts.. (2020). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32043088

Food Swamps and Food Deserts Impact on Metabolic Dysfunction–Associated Steatotic Liver Disease Mortality in US Counties. (2025). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2024.08.053

Key, J., Burnett, D., Babu, J. R., & Geetha, T. (2023). The Effects of Food Environment on Obesity in Children: A Systematic Review. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10010098