Unfruitful: ‘Food Prices Go Up,’ Grocery Stores Spread Out, and Transportation is Tough

By Luke Zarzecki
lzarzecki@coloradocommunitymedia.com

 

On a warm August morning, the line at Growing Home’s food pantry is already long. People start gathering at the back of the building in Westminster up to two hours before the doors open.  They’re there to shop for nutritious foods they otherwise struggle to afford.

Richard Cruz and Cassandra Crockett are among those who have come for help. They live together in Thornton. Cruz works full time as a delivery driver. Crockett used to work full time as a chef but had to stop due to a disability and she ran into health insurance problems.

“It was just too much and I couldn’t get my medicine and you have to wait so many days to get on insurance. This time, it broke me down,” Crockett said.

Even with Cruz putting in extra hours, the couple rely on Growing Home’s food pantry. They have two kids at home.

“Everytime you go to the store, food prices go up,” Cruz said.

The two figure out ways to stretch what they have.

“Always have a bag of potatoes,” said Cruz.

Cruz and Crockett aren’t alone.

One in eight residents and one in five children in surrounding Adams County face food insecurity, according to the local Health Department.

Adams County includes Northglenn, Thornton, Westminster and a wide array of suburbs and rural areas.

Prices of food increased by 10.3% in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks inflation. And, in the first half of 2023, they increased by 8.2%.

In addition to prices, distance is a factor in getting good food. For Cruz and Crockett, the closest grocery store is five minutes’ drive away. But without a car, it’s at least a 20 minute walk each way.

Luckily, they can use their car.

Like Cruz and Crockett, across the region, there are pockets where residents must travel over a mile to get to a grocery store like King Soopers, Safeway or Walmart. In some instances, that distance can be closer to 2-3 miles.

It may not sound like that far of a distance, but a mile can be the difference between regular access to nutritious food,  limited access —or none at all.

Many in need can’t afford cars or can’t drive for other reasons — including their health — and options like cabs or rideshare apps can eat up the limited funds they have for food. Public transportation options are limited and difficult for people to rely on, particularly those who have disabilities, limited mobility or children.

“If you’ve ever bought your groceries and tried to take them on a bus, that is incredibly challenging,” said Rachel Sinley, associate professor of nutrition at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

It all adds up to a situation where some residents across the county live in “food deserts,” she said. Those are areas where there is no or limited access to healthful, nutritious, affordable food.

Food deserts consist of three big barriers: income, transportation and access.

It’s defined by government sources as an urban area where 33% of the people living in a census tract reside more than one mile from a supermarket or other food source. For rural areas, the defined distance is 10 miles.

“For a lot of suburban areas, a mile is still pretty far if you don’t have access to reliable public transportation or access to transportation,” Sinley said.

The definitions are limiting, though. An area with more supermarkets but less access to reliable transportation may be as much of a food desert as an area with fewer supermarkets but better transportation options, she said.

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