Grocery prices continue to rise, making it more difficult for families to purchase basic vital essentials, especially food. There are sections of the Scenic City that are increasingly being designated as a food desert by the United States Department of Agriculture.
The USDA defines food deserts as low-income areas where residents have limited access to affordable, healthy food, such as a supermarket or large grocery store. These areas typically have low or median family incomes and low access to a grocery store (at least 500 people or 33% of the population live more than 1 mile from a supermarket in urban areas, or 10 miles in rural areas).
According to the USDA, areas in Chattanooga identified as food deserts include parts of East Chattanooga, Brainerd, Alton Park, East Lake, and Avondale, and Eastdale…