A major grocer in Ohio is trying to keep some of its smaller stores open in areas that would otherwise be food deserts. But profits are hard to come by, and stores continue to move out of town.
"Kroger's decision to close an unprofitable and aged store in Roselawn last month has spotlighted again a years-long debate over the role grocers and municipalities should play in providing residents with healthy food.
This time though, the issue is on stronger footing. Troubled by rising obesity rates, a local Food Access Task Force is working to identify communities with limited access to fresh and healthy food, areas it calls "food deserts." State and federal organizations have pinpointed examples of these deserts all over the country. President Barack Obama has made supermarket expansion and access to food key priorities in his 2011 budget."
A recent analysis by The Cincinnati Enquirer shows that grocery stores in the metropolitan area have steadily moved out of city neighborhoods and into outlying areas.
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