🩺 PULSE CHECK: Trapped in Food Deserts – The Hidden Health Crisis in Black Communities

Exploring how food deserts are driving chronic diseases across Black communities in Canada, the Caribbean, and the diaspora.

By Alwin Marshall-Squire

For many Black communities, access to affordable, healthy food is not a given—it’s a daily struggle. In urban neighborhoods across Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., as well as rural areas of the Caribbean and Africa, food deserts—areas with limited access to nutritious, affordable groceries—are fueling rising rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

This week in Pulse Check, we examine the health impacts of food deserts on Black communities and the innovative efforts underway to reclaim food sovereignty and public health.

What Are Food Deserts?

A food desert is typically defined as a geographic area where residents must travel long distances to find fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole foods. In contrast, processed, high-sugar, and high-fat foods are often plentiful and more accessible in convenience stores or fast food chains.

In cities like Toronto, Montreal, and New York, studies show that predominantly Black and low-income neighborhoods are disproportionately located in or adjacent to food deserts. In parts of the Caribbean, such as rural Jamaica or Trinidad, food deserts can also result from limited transportation infrastructure and the dominance of imported processed foods.

Health Impacts

Research links food deserts directly to chronic diseases:

• Higher obesity rates due to reliance on fast food and ultra-processed items.

• Increased cases of type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

• Nutritional deficiencies in children and pregnant women.

• Mental health impacts, including stress and anxiety around food insecurity.

In Canada, data from Statistics Canada and PROOF food insecurity research group consistently show Black households are among the most food insecure. In the Caribbean, PAHO reports a steady rise in non-communicable diseases tied to diet.

Community-Led Solutions

Across the diaspora, Black communities are responding by reclaiming food systems through:

• Urban agriculture projects, such as community gardens in Toronto, Kingston, and Bridgetown.

• Black-led farmers markets and cooperatives, providing culturally appropriate and affordable produce.

• Education programs, teaching food literacy and cooking skills to youth and families.

• Policy advocacy, pushing governments to support food security programs, subsidies, and zoning reforms.

In Toronto, the Afri-Can FoodBasket and Black Creek Community Farm are recognized models of food justice work, while in Jamaica, urban gardening projects in Kingston’s inner city are providing fresh food access in overlooked areas.

What Needs to Change

Health advocates recommend:

• Expanding support for Black-led food security initiatives.

• Investing in affordable grocery retail in underserved areas.

• Supporting Black farmers and producers across the Caribbean and diaspora.

• Government action to regulate unhealthy food marketing and support healthy eating education.

Final Word

Food deserts are not natural—they are the result of policy decisions, economic neglect, and systemic racism. Addressing them is critical to improving the health outcomes of Black communities worldwide.

This is your Pulse Check.

Pulse Check: Black Health Weekly is Vision Newspaper’s weekly column on health, healing, and equity in Black communities across the Caribbean, Canada, Africa, and the diaspora.
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