Why Do Some People Not Have Access to Healthy Food?

December 10, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the Food Research & Action Center, approximately 13.5 percent of U.S. households experienced food insecurity in 2023, meaning they lacked consistent access to enough affordable, nutritious food. This stark statistic raises the crucial question: why do some people not have access to healthy food, even in developed nations?

Quick Summary

Limited access to healthy food is driven by multifaceted systemic issues, including economic instability, geographic isolation in "food deserts," inadequate transportation, and discriminatory policies. These factors contribute to food insecurity, disproportionately affecting low-income and marginalized communities.

Key Points

Economic Instability: Low wages and high living costs force low-income households to prioritize cheaper, less nutritious food over healthy options.
Food Deserts: Geographic areas with limited access to affordable, fresh food, forcing reliance on convenience stores with less healthy fare.
Inadequate Transportation: Lack of reliable personal or public transport creates a major logistical barrier for those living far from grocery stores.
Systemic Inequities: Historical policies, including discriminatory practices like redlining, have disproportionately affected minority and low-income communities, limiting their access to healthy food infrastructure.
Food Marketing: The targeted advertising of inexpensive, unhealthy foods influences dietary choices, especially in vulnerable communities.
Policy Solutions: Initiatives such as mobile markets, SNAP incentives, and policy reforms are crucial for improving food access and affordability.
Community-Based Efforts: Urban agriculture and community gardens empower residents to increase local access to fresh produce and build food security.

The Core Causes of Limited Healthy Food Access

Access to healthy, nutritious food is a fundamental determinant of health, yet millions of people face significant barriers. The reasons are complex and interconnected, extending far beyond simple personal choices. They are rooted in socioeconomic and environmental factors that shape people's daily lives.

Economic and Socioeconomic Barriers

Economic instability is arguably the most significant barrier to accessing healthy food. The cost of nutritious food, like fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, is often higher than that of calorie-dense, low-nutrient processed foods.

Low Income and Stagnant Wages: Many individuals and families, especially those working low-wage jobs, simply cannot afford a consistent supply of healthy food. When faced with the high costs of housing, healthcare, and utilities, nutritious groceries are often the first items to be cut from the budget.
High Cost of Living: The overall cost of living, particularly housing, further strains the budgets of low-income households. This forces many to make difficult trade-offs between paying for rent and buying groceries.
Impact of Economic Shocks: Economic downturns, natural disasters, and pandemics can exacerbate existing food insecurity. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed millions of people back into poverty, leading to increased food insecurity due to job losses and inflation.

Geographic and Environmental Barriers: The Food Desert Effect

The term "food desert" refers to areas where residents have limited or no access to fresh, affordable, and healthy food. These are a major contributing factor to poor nutrition and related health issues.

Urban vs. Rural Disparities: Food deserts exist in both urban and rural settings, though they present different challenges. In urban areas, they often coincide with low-income neighborhoods with few supermarkets but an abundance of corner stores selling processed, less healthy options. In rural areas, residents may have to travel long distances, sometimes lacking reliable transportation, to reach a store with healthy options.
Lack of Transportation: Without personal or accessible public transportation, reaching a full-service grocery store becomes a major obstacle. This forces many to rely on local, more expensive, and less nutritious options.

Systemic and Institutional Barriers

Historical and ongoing systemic issues, including racism and discriminatory policies, have created and perpetuated disparities in food access.

Legacy of Redlining: Past policies like redlining led to neighborhood disinvestment, particularly in communities of color. This resulted in fewer supermarkets and healthy food retailers, a legacy that persists today.
Food Marketing and Advertising: Aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods disproportionately targets low-income and minority communities. This affects dietary choices, especially among children, and can shape lifelong eating habits.
Policy and Regulation Issues: Some government policies, such as certain zoning regulations or inconsistent program information, can make it difficult for small businesses to offer healthier options or participate in assistance programs like SNAP.

Comparison of Barriers to Healthy Food Access


Barrier Type	Key Characteristics	Impact on Access	Affected Populations
Economic	Low income, high cost of living, inflation.	Direct limitation on purchasing power. Forces choices between essentials.	Low-income households, unemployed individuals, working poor.
Geographic	Lack of nearby healthy food retailers (food deserts).	Increases travel time and cost to access fresh, affordable produce.	Urban low-income neighborhoods, rural residents.
Transportation	No reliable personal or public transport.	Creates logistical difficulty in reaching full-service grocery stores.	Elderly, disabled, families in transit-poor areas.
Systemic/Policy	Historical discrimination (redlining), targeted marketing, poor zoning.	Creates and sustains inequities in food retail distribution and affordability.	Communities of color, lower-income areas.
Individual/Cultural	Time constraints, lack of cooking knowledge, cultural traditions.	Can influence food preparation and purchasing habits toward less healthy options.	Varies widely, but can be exacerbated by other systemic issues.

Initiatives for Improving Healthy Food Access

Numerous initiatives are working to counteract these barriers and improve healthy food access. These include:

Mobile Food Markets: Bringing fresh produce directly to underserved neighborhoods, addressing both geographic and transportation barriers.
Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens: Promoting local food production within cities, increasing access to fresh, affordable produce, and fostering community engagement.
SNAP Incentives: Programs that provide bonus funds for SNAP participants to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers' markets, increasing the affordability of healthy food.
Policy Reforms: Advocating for policies that encourage supermarket development in underserved areas and regulate the marketing of unhealthy foods to children.
School Meal Programs: Expanding access to nutritious meals in schools and during the summer to combat childhood food insecurity.

Conclusion

Limited access to healthy food is not a matter of individual failure but a complex issue shaped by intertwined systemic factors. From economic constraints and geographic isolation to historical injustices and policy failures, the reasons why some people cannot access nutritious food are deeply rooted in the structures of society. Addressing this challenge requires a multi-pronged approach that tackles the root causes, including targeted interventions to increase affordability and access, community-based solutions, and systemic policy reforms. By creating a healthier food environment for everyone, we can move closer to ensuring that nutritious, life-sustaining food is a right, not a luxury. For further reading, organizations like Feeding America provide valuable insights into ongoing efforts and resources related to food insecurity.

Frequently Asked Questions

A food desert is a geographic area where residents have limited access to affordable, healthy food retailers, such as supermarkets. It contributes to limited access by increasing travel time and cost to find fresh produce, forcing many to rely on nearby convenience stores and fast-food outlets that offer less nutritious options.

Poverty significantly impacts healthy eating by restricting a household's purchasing power. The high cost of nutritious food, combined with expensive housing and other living expenses, means that low-income individuals and families often cannot afford to buy healthy groceries consistently, leading them to opt for cheaper, more calorie-dense alternatives.

Yes, transportation is a major factor. In areas with poor public transit or where residents lack personal vehicles, getting to a supermarket with a wide variety of fresh food can be difficult or impossible. This forces reliance on local, less healthy food sources, particularly for the elderly, disabled, and low-income families.

Systemic issues include historical and ongoing discrimination, such as the legacy of redlining, which limited investment in certain neighborhoods and created disparities in food retail. Other factors include unequal income distribution, employment disparities, and targeted marketing of unhealthy foods towards certain communities.

Food policies can influence healthy food access in various ways, from zoning laws that determine where grocery stores can be built to regulations on food marketing. Effective policies can provide incentives for healthy food retailers in underserved areas, while ineffective or discriminatory policies can exacerbate existing inequities.

While systemic factors are the primary driver, individual and cultural factors can also play a role. These can include a lack of nutrition education, cultural food traditions, and time constraints for meal preparation. However, these are often amplified by the lack of affordable healthy options and high exposure to unhealthy food advertising.

Initiatives include mobile food markets and food banks, community gardens, incentive programs for SNAP benefits at farmers' markets, and policy reforms aimed at improving the food environment. These efforts work to increase the affordability, accessibility, and availability of nutritious food in underserved communities.