“Food Deserts” in Urban Districts

Abstract

While the marketing literature has investigated the availability and affordability of food and food stores from various angles and in many different global contexts, a recent phenomenon that has only received scant attention in the marketing literature thus far is the appearance of food deserts in urban environments. Food deserts have been observed in Western markets (e.g., in the U.K. and the U.S.) with a literature base that originates in urban planning. This article represents the first attempt to introduce the food desert phenomenon to the marketing literature overall, and to the macromarketing context specifically. A definition of a food desert is created from a marketing perspective. The impact of emerging food deserts on market segments of vulnerable consumers, such as the elderly or mobility-impaired consumers, and the ensuing public policy implications appear particularly relevant to macromarketers. This study investigates the absence of food-sources in a context that may not appear as a likely candidate for this phenomenon, a transitional economy in Southeastern Europe, Croatia. Evidence for the existence of a food desert is provided through primary and secondary data, and public policy implications are discussed.

Boundary Interweaving: The Boundary-Making Strategy for Multicultural Coexistence in Marketing Systems

“…Layton (2019) defines actors as, “The individuals and entities… (that) each bring differing sets of capabilities, such as capital – economic, social and political – to an exchange” (p. 215). Studies on marketing systems may examine the entire system as a whole (Cerovečki and Grünhagen 2016), narrowed down to the components within a marketing system (Sarker et al 2022) or emphasise the outcome of marketing systems (Baktir and Watson 2021). Assortments created and QOL-generated are two examples of the outcome of marketing systems.…”

A Multidimensional Approach to Understanding Food Deserts in Vulnerable Contexts

“…The majority of the existing literature on food deserts has been predominantly centered on larger urban areas in the UK and US [2,38], offering comprehensive insights into the socio-economic and health-related impacts of limited access to nutritious and affordable food in these regions [39]. However, this leaves a substantial research gap regarding how food deserts manifest and influence communities in smaller urban and suburban settings across other European nations.…”

“…These areas, often characterized by distinct socioeconomic dynamics, cultural practices, and urban planning models, may exhibit unique patterns [40,41] and consequences of food scarcity that are not adequately captured by the existing research predominantly based on Anglo-American contexts. This void signifies a pressing need for focused studies on food deserts in diverse European settings [39], especially in Mediterranean countries with their praised diet and in smaller cities to develop a more nuanced understanding of this complex issue and to inform targeted policy interventions suited to varied European contexts. This research aims to address this gap by focusing on a medium-sized Spanish city, offering insights into the unique challenges and dynamics of food deserts in such contexts.…”