Access to safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food is a right—not a privilege. But the right to healthy, culturally appropriate food is denied systematically across communities, especially in the United States. Food disparities are evident in urban cores and rural towns alike; differences in access to food that is healthy and culturally appropriate reflect the larger social injustices that have existed for decades.
One review article, "Neighborhood Disparities in Access to Healthy Foods and Their Impacts on Environmental Justice," examined the existing literature and demonstrated how these patterns were not random, but were systemic. Communities that had a higher percentage of Black and Latino populations had significantly fewer healthy food outlets, leading to, among other things, an economically-based diet low in nutrition and high in processed foods and promoting obesity, diabetes, and other health issues.
Redlining, Racism, and Food Access in US Urban Cores identifies how the discriminatory housing policies established in the 20th century continue to shape food landscapes today. In the 1930s, when the U.S. government assessed risk for real estate investment, neighborhoods populated by Black and immigrant residents were shaded red on maps; this area represented a risky prospect for investment.
Disparities in Diet Quality and Food Security Across Ethnic Immigration Status and US Nativity discusses how immigrant communities - especially more recent arrivals experience disproportionate food insecurity. Many undocumented immigrants are ineligible for food assistance programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), even if they have lived and worked in the U.S. for many years.