I feel like I understand that it’s a logistical creation. I also get that there were potentially reasons for their existence in the past, but with ostensibly world-wide 2-3 day delivery on anything, how can they exist? I grew up in an island state that didn’t produce anything and yet we received all types of fresh produce and international products, and yet in the middle of first world western countries there is a lack of access to the same things?
In: Economics
Working under the interpretation that the question is asking how they can exist if it’s possible to just have things delivered:
Depending the severity, there is an access with shipping too.
It cost more to have fresh produce specifically delivered even more so where there is not the economy of scale an island would have shipping fresh food in. Ordering a pallet of bananas and sharing the cost between people is cheaper than specifically ordering one dude to go buy at and deliver it to you.
You know what delivery also cost more of? Money. The exact thing people in most food deserts don’t have a lot of. In most situations if someone has a car with gas money, or reliable public transit, they can just drive to the store regardless of if it’s 1 mile or 15 miles away.
Not everyone has reliable public transit or a car with gas money though. So cheap and close by alternatives like fast food fill in the gap.
The lack of access is more of a relative thing. An entire city isn’t going to be out of fresh food, but if you live in a neighborhood without easy access and don’t have the means to travel somewhere else to get it, then it’s effectively not there.
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