A yearlong study on access to grocery stores by a geography professor at Chicago State University concluded that several Chicago communities consistently suffer from a lack of food availability.
The report, Finding Food in Chicago and the Suburbs: The Report of the Northeastern Illinois Community Food Security Assessment,” was completed in January and funded by the Chicago Community Trust’s Searle Funds.
Daniel Block, associate professor of geography at Chicago State University is the author. He was assisted by Judy Birgen, associate professor of sociology at Chicago State University and Noel Chavez, an associate professor in the division of Community Health Science at the University of Illinois- Chicago.
“We completed price and availability studies of community groceries, and [in Englewood, Hegewisch, Pilsen, Portage Park, and Riverdale] we conducted a series of structured group interviews with consumers, store owners and managers, and service providers,” Block said.
And while some shoppers said the food availability shortfall was news to them, others said they are not surprised by the findings. “Anytime you have to drive to another neighborhood to reach a ‘real’ grocery store, that’s a problem,” said Erik Carter, 48, who lives in Englewood at 63rd Street and Western Avenue.
“There is an Aldi at 63rd and Halsted but Aldi has a limited choice of meats to choose from. You still have to go to another grocery store to purchase more meats.” He added that Jewel, Dominick’s, Save-A-Lot, and Aldi are name brand grocery stores favored by middleclass Blacks, as opposed to small, neighborhood grocery stores often favored by lower-income Black people and usually owned by foreigners such as Koreans and Arabs.
“The more you know the wiser choices you make. When you’re on welfare buying food with a Link card and have a limited education, you will go with the flow, do not ask questions or shop around for the best customer service, product and prices,” Carter added.
But not all shoppers agree with Carter’s theory that class determines where you shop. “I shop in the neighborhood because I want my money to stay in the neighborhood,” said Aimee Patterson, 34. “I have a car and could easily drive elsewhere to shop for groceries but I choose to shop in my neighborhood.
I am a strong believer that if a neighborhood is good enough to live in then it’s good enough to spend your money in, too.” Among the report findings were: Food access
o Lower-income Black neighborhoods, both in the city and in the suburbs, have relatively low access to supermarkets, whether chain or independent.
o Hispanic neighborhoods have similarly low access to chain supermarkets, but have many independent stores. Residents, however, see a need for full-service markets, which are often missing.
o Particular areas of poor food access (defined by access to supermarkets) found include: portions of Chicago’s South, Southeast, and West Sides; an area of the southern suburbs running from Lynwood, through Lansing and Calumet City to Burnham; northeastern Kane County; central Aurora; Maywood; North Chicago and southern Waukegan.
o New areas with low access to full-service chain stores appeared between 2005 and 2007, particularly in the Austin/West Humboldt Park area of Chicago and the southern suburbs from Riverdale through Burnham, Calumet City, Lansing, and Lynwood.
o More full-service chain stores, such as Jewel and Dominick’s closed than opened during the period 2005 to 2007. Dominick’s closed more than 30 stores and Jewels closed three stores during the period. Other stores, such as discount chains, including Aldi and Save-A-Lot, have opened several new locations. However, except discount chains, few stores are opening in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Consumer and retailer interviews
o Inadequate transportation is a barrier to getting to food; many people need to travel by bus, often with transfers. This limits what can be purchased, often to foods that fill not spoil, but may be less healthy.
o Consumers felt small stores in their communities were dirty and unkempt, sometimes with rude and disrespectful staff.
o Particularly vulnerable groups included older adults, and unemployed, disabled, and homeless individuals. Price and availability
o Full-service chain supermarkets carried the most grocery items, followed by discount and independent supermarkets.
o Discount supermarkets were the cheapest of the store types, but often carried few items specific to the dominant ethnic group in a community. And with all the reasons causing the shortage, the report made recommendations for resolving it.
Plans for new stores and programs should be developed as part of a general community health and retail access plan and should be community led or involve a large amount of community input. Black-oriented independent supermarkets should be encouraged to develop.
Compared to other minority and ethnic neighborhoods, Black communities are greatly lacking in such stores. Existing stores in underserved communities could be a resource through which increased healthy food access could occur.
Developing bus lines that serve grocery stores directly or sponsoring alternative transportation to local stores would help communities even if new stores are difficult to develop. Such options are needed for the elderly and other vulnerable groups.
Grocery stores like Moo & Oink, known for its large selection of meat, are a favorite among some Black shoppers, said Florence Henderson, 46, who lives in Austin. “I buy all my meat from Moo & Oink because the prices are reasonable. They give good customer service and the meats are fresh. I would never buy meat at these corner stores because the meats smell funny.”
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