Farmers Markets Not Helping Much in Groton 'Food Deserts'

Looking for fresh, nutritious food? That task is more difficult for some Groton residents who live in local "food deserts."

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), “food deserts” are low income areas with limited nearby grocery stores and affordable fresh food. Instead, these towns are serviced by fast food restaurants and convenience stores -- leading to higher rates of obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

The USDA Economic Research Service shows that significant portions of Groton residents meet food desert criteria: these households are both low-income and have low access to affordable groceries. 

In one region of town, 171 out of the 2,597 households live further than half a mile from a grocery store and don't have access to a car, the USDA map said.

Check out the USDA Food Access Research Atlas for further details.

However, it’s not as simple as propping up fresh food stand in your neighborhood. For many low income residents, prices at farmers’ markets can still be out of reach. The USDA has tried to close that gap by subsidizing wireless food stamp readers at farmers markets. Still, out of the nearly 8,000 farmers’ markets nationwide, fewer than half accept food stamps.

Check out our interactive map of the closest farmers markets and when they’re open. By clicking on the check marks on the right, you can see which markets are open on which days of the week.

Green markers mean the markets are open that particular day. Gray markers mean that the markets are either closed that day, out of season or closed forever.

The data is provided by Fresh Nation and updated daily. If you see any errors on the map, please contact Fresh Nation directly by email at info@freshnation.com