Is it just a matter of zoning laws? Because in strictly economic terms, it seems to me like it would be very advantageous to open a grocery store in a neighborhood that is devoid of them.
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It’s a combination of factors. Food deserts are generally older urban neighborhoods that have transitioned from middle class to poor neighborhoods. Traditionally, people in the neighborhood shopped in small local grocery stores, but those have largely been driven out of business by big box supermarkets and replaced by more general convenience stores. The bigger supermarkets are generally further out in the city where it’s easier and cheaper to purchase the land necessary for a big store plus large parking lot. Some people in the food desert simply drive to the supermarkets, but the nature of a poor neighborhood is that not everyone has reliable car access. Economics of scale make it tough for smaller groceries in the food desert to stock things like fresh produce, especially when they’re losing many of their more middle class shoppers to the cheaper supermarkets.
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