Mapping the Cost of a Balanced Diet, as a Function of Travel Time and Food Price

Authors

  • Nathan Hilbert The Ohio State University
  • Jennifer Evans-Cowley The Ohio State University
  • Jason Reece The Ohio State University
  • Christy Rogers The Ohio State University
  • Wendy Ake The Ohio State University
  • Casey Hoy The Ohio State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2014.051.010

Keywords:

Economics, Food Access, Food Desert, Optimization, Policy, Spatial Analysis, Traveling Purchaser Problem

Abstract

We present a new method for analyzing spatial variation in the cost of a balanced diet, as an alternative to food desert classification. Our specific hypothesis is that the cost of a balanced diet varies according to where one lives, as a function of travel and food item costs. We collected price data for the USDA Thrifty Food Plan from approximately 30 percent of food retail outlets of various kinds in the three Gulf Coast counties of Mississippi, and these prices were extrapolated to the remaining stores. Transportation costs were calculated for both driving by automobile and the combination of walking and public transportation by bus, accounting for both the shoppers' time and the cost of automobile mileage. We developed a "traveling purchaser problem" algorithm to estimate the lowest-cost combination of travel and food costs for purchasing all items in the Thrifty Food Plan for each residential parcel in the study area, and mapped the resulting costs and examined their variation. Estimated costs varied more because of transportation costs than food prices, and ranged from US$109 to US$215 for automobile travel and from US$111 to US$439 for a combination of walking and public transportation. In general, costs were lowest in the more populated areas near the coast and higher in more rural areas further inland. Results of this analysis demonstrate that the cost of acquiring a balanced diet varies considerably and more or less continuously. Food is not equally cheap for all; it depends on where one lives. For any given location, an estimate of the cost of a balanced diet, including both food price and transportation, is more useful than a classification as food desert or not in understanding access issues and needs. Furthermore, policy alternatives that are intended to influence access should be evaluated based on how much they influence costs, and for whom, depending on where people live.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biographies

Nathan Hilbert, The Ohio State University

Agroecosystems Management Program, The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, Ohio. Current address: 7600 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Jennifer Evans-Cowley, The Ohio State University

City and Regional Planning Section, Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture; The Ohio State University; 275 West Woodruff, Columbus, Ohio, USA; +1-614-292-0479.

Jason Reece, The Ohio State University

The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

Christy Rogers, The Ohio State University

The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

Wendy Ake, The Ohio State University

The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

Casey Hoy, The Ohio State University

Agroecosystems Management Program, The Ohio State University, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 1680 Madison Avenue, Wooster, Ohio 44691 USA; +1-330-263-3611.

Published

2014-12-06

How to Cite

Hilbert, N., Evans-Cowley, J., Reece, J., Rogers, C., Ake, W., & Hoy, C. (2014). Mapping the Cost of a Balanced Diet, as a Function of Travel Time and Food Price. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 5(1), 105–127. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2014.051.010

Issue

Section

Open Call Paper