Some researchers have pushed for 'food deserts' to be rebranded as 'healthy food priority areas.'

Building new supermarkets in food deserts likely won't help as much as nutrition education in closing healthy-eating gaps.

Between 2003 and 2023, nearly 5M Americans lived in food deserts, potentially putting them at elevated risk for conditions linked to unhealthy nutrition including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

The term 'food deserts' originated in Scotland in the 1990s to describe areas with limited access to nutritious food, but its legal definition in the US was established as part of the 2008 Farm Bill.

In the 1980s, the Reagan administration stopped enforcing a law prohibiting discriminatory pricing, giving large chains an advantage and driving smaller stores out of business, which created modern food deserts.

See why fast food and convenience stores are often the main options for the estimated 150,000 people living in food deserts in Washington, D.C.

See how food access varies across America with these interactive maps that show grocery store proximity.

Health food broke into the mainstream by the 1980s

A 1984 New York Times story noted that Americans were eating less red meat than a decade prior, and that, in general, the country was “talking, thinking and worrying about what they eat to a degree unique in the nation's history.” The feature then details foods that were then considered bizarre: whole-grain muffins, hummus, and a variety of vegetarian dishes. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Rural vs. urban: Exploring the digital health divide

Though digital health tools (DHT) hold potential to transform healthcare accessibility, their adoption varies across urban and rural landscapes. This comprehensive study, drawing from the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey, evaluates the...

How the Great Depression still shapes the way Americans eat

From fortified foods to nutrition labels, the legacy of an early financial crisis lives on in kitchens across the United States. Ethnic foods with their (supposedly) hunger-triggering spices were vilified and considered “stimulants” along the lines of caffeine and so, in their stead came prune puddings, canned-meat stews, and dairy-heavy vegetable casseroles featuring America’s first fortified foods. Read more here.

The 15-minute city lets residents meet their daily needs within 15 minutes on foot

Many cities have been designed with inefficient layouts that waste time and lower the quality of life of those who live there. In the 15-minute city, essential services—including work, food, education, and health—should all be located within a short walk or bike ride from where people live.

Ultra-processed foods are made to maximize cravings and encourage overeating

Often disguised as healthy options like granola bars and low-fat yogurt, these foods silently fuel chronic diseases, despite dominating diets. Reviewing labels for ingredients like stabilizers and emulsifiers can serve as indicators to help identify these products.

Fort Worth, Texas, is the largest US blue zone area—a designation not from demographers but from journalist Dan Buettner's organization, which means Blue Zones LLC partnered with the city to help residents live healthier.

Over the years, the USDA has changed its definitions of healthy eating

The US Department of Agriculture began offering eating advice in 1894 and has updated its guidance as both science and politics have evolved. In the early 20th century, its guidance emphasized recommended minimum servings of important foods; in later decades, its visual guides became more nuanced, illustrating the composition of a healthy diet and encouraging exercise.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Amsterdam became the first city to apply 'doughnut economics,' a new economic school of thought that defines productivity in terms of environmental impact.

With Americans increasingly concerned about high grocery prices, experts suggest meal planning and using apps like TooGoodToGo to keep household food costs down.

The term 'superfood' is a marketing construct with no scientific or medical definition

Encompassing at least 136 plants and animals, the concept has been criticized by nutritionists for its scientific value, which has been exploited by the wellness industry for profit. Although the label has encouraged the consumption of fruits and vegetables, food variety and minimal processing remain key to a healthy diet.

Dollar stores are often found in rural, low-income areas of the US

Shoppers in these areas are increasingly turning to dollar stores for food. A study published in 2023 found that dollar stores were the fastest-growing food retailers by household expenditure share, with rural growth outpacing growth elsewhere (a 102.9% increase in rural areas versus 89.7% elsewhere).

Food companies are exploring 'GLP-1 friendly' diet labels

Producers of foods like Healthy Choice frozen meals are placing "GLP-1 friendly" labels on their food, but there's no regulation about what that label means. Nutritionists say that GLP-1s can help reduce appetite, but healthy, balanced diets are a necessary complement to the medications. Data shows that about half of GLP-1 users quit these medications within a year and then rapidly regain weight, underscoring the importance of also prioritizing healthy eating.

Delivery apps have realigned the restaurant industry

As delivery apps like Grubhub and DoorDash became popularity, traditional dine-in restaurants have adapted to become more accommodating. In this thinkpiece for the Atlantic, Ellen Cushing argues that it's both changed the kind of food being made and realigned our very notion of a restaurant. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Ranking America's healthiest and unhealthiest cities

Compiling data from the 180 most populated cities in the US, WalletHub evaluated which of those metros are the healthiest using 43 health indicators, from the average cost of a medical visit to total vaccination rates.

The James Beard Foundation rebranded in 2025

Design firm Siberia emphasized the foundation's mission: "good food for good." This case study from Print isn't just a fascinating look at one campaign—it’s a primer on understanding how design works.

One biologist is leading the blue zone criticisms—both questioning the original recordkeeping for these purported longevity-prone locations and pointing to recent research showing declining numbers of healthy seniors in several official blue zone regions.

Blue zones are geographic locations, such as Sardinia, Italy, where there have appeared to be disproportionately high numbers of healthy agers, perhaps due to factors including genetics, diet, social connections, and more.

Critics argue social media made 'foodie' culture increasingly superficial

For 40 years, being a "foodie" meant possessing knowledge and expertise about ingredients, restaurants, and flavors. Now, the author argues, being a foodie has more to do with documenting aesthetically pleasing meals than critical consumption. She argues for increased attention toward the complex systems that bring food to our tables.

Visualizing the world's food supply chains

The world's food supply chain is complex and lopsided, with much of the world's nutrient-rich food ending up in Europe and North America. This visualization illustrates the paths our food takes around the world, from starchy vegetables in...

Why processed foods can be so addictive

In recent years, many critics have voiced their concerns about the food industry and how ultra-processed foods affect our health. Despite our awareness of these issues, processed foods are still incredibly hard to remove from our diet. In this podcast by The Guardian, Dr. Chris van Tulleken explains how “junk food” is created to get us hooked, how it negatively affects us, and what we can do to improve our eating habits.

Many issues facing urban environments cannot be solved by smart technologies

Although connecting systems to the Internet of Things can provide improved efficiency in municipal systems, problems such as limited affordable housing are driven by larger socioeconomic factors. Some experts suggest that local governments should focus resources on practical solutions to these issues rather than investing in smart technologies.

Some educators argue society's obsession with colleges at the top of rankings has hurt the US higher education ecosystem

Why are "good colleges" often the ones that accept the fewest students? Speaker Cecilia Orphan argues that society's obsession with colleges that are often private, expensive, and that reject applicants with high frequency has done harm. Instead, she argues, we should focus on regional public universities that meet the needs of students in a cost-achievable manner.

Natural food stores began sprouting up in the US in the 1960s and 1970s

Health food stores began opening in the ‘50s, though they were primarily focused on vitamins and holistic supplements. Natural food stores, however, provided pesticide-free produce and often relied on local farmers for their products. One of the first was New Age Natural Foods, in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, which opened in 1965.

Smart cities have been more successful when upgrading existing infrastructure

Building urban landscapes with smart technologies from scratch has sometimes produced futuristic-looking yet sterile environments that struggle to attract residents and justify high costs. Enhancing existing areas while retaining their historical and cultural touchstones has proven more appealing in many cities.

In 1936, the federal government passed the Robinson-Patman Act, an antitrust law initially aimed at breaking up the power of the grocery store chain A&P.

Black women offer a solution to racial health disparities

Black women in the US face higher rates of obesity, heart disease and more diseases. This article explores the historical and systemic racism underpinning the disparity, and the solutions Black women are creating.

See a breakdown of how some of the most common food items are traded across the globe, including the key trade relationships for each item.

'Foodie' culture arose in the early 2000s

Food writer Jaya Saxena attributes the mainstreaming of the term to early-aughts TV shows, including “Top Chef” and “No Reservations,” as well as the dawn of social apps like Yelp, which turned everyday diners into critics.

Learn the history of food science breakthroughs from the 20th century

Long after humans developed the means to produce sufficient food to feed civilizations, scientific research focused on a wide variety of objectives, such as developing methods to preserve food quality (accomplished via frozen food), speeding up cooking (leading to the microwave), and lowering the cost of sweetening food, which high fructose corn syrup provides.

Peanut allergies dropped by 43% after doctors reversed avoidance guidance, but questions remain

The study’s data appear to confirm the policy shift. Still, since the study did not include an examination of infant diet, researchers can’t definitively say that the guideline shift led to dietary changes and thus directly caused the decline.

Read a book making the case for 'smart enough' cities

University of Michigan professor Ben Green argues that cities should be enhanced by technology rather than driven by it, thereby preventing injustice and inequality beneath their surface. By embracing social change in conjunction with smart technologies, residents, Green suggests, can avoid valuing such technologies as ends in themselves.

Imagining the nostalgia we'll feel one day for gas stations

Car drivers everywhere are accustomed to an endless array of gas stations along the road, with their high, flat roofs, convenience stores of varying quality, and bathroom availability. Current trends in electric vehicle development point to such stations' inevitable obsolescence, and one photographer has begun documenting neglected filling stations in transit-oriented Germany. See the images for yourself and begin the journey toward so-called petronostalgia.

Processed foods were marketed to busy wives in the 1950s

In the 1950s, they were marketed as time-saving conveniences for young families, especially those living in the rapidly expanding suburbs, who could easily find them in local supermarkets, making them a seemingly sensible alternative to fresh foods.

Why there's a snack recession

Inflation and economic uncertainty have driven many Americans to make cuts to their snack budgets, according to reports from major food manufacturers like General Mills, JM Smucker, and Campbell's. Major retailers have also observed lower-income consumers cutting back on nonessentials due to the macroeconomic environment.

How parking infrastructure reveals a region's values

As cars became more popular, the need for city parking increased. In Europe, well-established cities with limited space generally opted for more expensive underground parking beneath public spaces to preserve aesthetics. Available land and decentralized planning in the US saw more parking lots and garages built. These decisions reveal broader policy realities for these regions.

Critics of concierge medicine argue it's worsening physician shortages and expanding inequity

Some research suggests that the average wait time for a primary care visit in major US cities can be 21 days. Subscription-based medical practices offer faster in-person and virtual appointment options, but the price barrier to this type of service may worsen inequity in healthcare access. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Ultraprocessed foods include preservatives, dyes, sweeteners, and more

Processed foods are those that have been altered from their original state, which includes numerous processes that we consider natural, such as cooking or salting. Ultraprocessed foods contain at least one item that wouldn’t be found in a kitchen, like hydrogenated oils or high-fructose corn syrup. It’s estimated that nearly 75% of all foods consumed in the US are ultraprocessed, though that doesn’t mean that all of them are unhealthy. In fact, some, such as prepackaged whole wheat bread and soy milk, are recognized for their health benefits.

Americans think being informed is a priority for voting, but don't prioritize reading the news.

How meal timing factors into health outcomes

The world is trending toward weight gain, a development that comes with a corresponding rise in risk for health conditions, including diabetes and heart disease. This article explores how meal timing has become a factor in nutrition and weight maintenance.

Will smart cities widen the divide between rich and poor?

Author of the book "Uneven Innovation" talks about the need for intention when planning smart cities to avoid unintentionally creating inequality. This hour-long podcast delves into the impact of privatizing public services, community engagement,...

Analyzing brownfield cleanup to explain why bioremediation aligns with environmental justice

This designation applies to sites contaminated by industrial or commercial activity and that are either underutilized or abandoned. Common in economically disadvantaged communities of color, brownfields pose risks to human health and can be costly to restore. Bioremediation can be a more affordable solution that creates in-demand employment pathways in environmental science, regenerative agriculture, and ecological restoration for community members.

Imagining the farms of the future

About 10,000 years ago, humans began to farm. This agricultural revolution was a turning point in our history and enabled the existence of civilization. Today, nearly 40 percent of our planet is farmland. Spread all over the world, these lands are the pieces to a global puzzle we're all facing: in the future, how can we feed every member of a growing population a healthy diet? Brent Loken investigates in this seven-minute video.

Read the main paper criticizing the concept of blue zones, which argues recordkeeping errors, pension fraud, and natural disasters likely explain the high numbers of purported healthy centenarians in certain locations.

Blue zones are regions with unusually high numbers of centenarians

Factors thought to contribute to longevity in these regions include diet and social connections, but their legitimacy is often questioned due to a lack of rigorous scientific methodology and potential record inaccuracies.