Examining LA's Grocery Gap: Why South LA remains a "Food Desert"

November 6, 11:51 AMLA African American Culture ExaminerEricka King

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One of many convenience stores in South LA

Part One | Overview

If you have noticed the sparse presence or closing of major supermarket chains in your area over the years, then you probably reside within the 52-square mile section of Los Angeles bordered by Alameda Avenue to the east, Wilshire Boulevard to the north, Crenshaw Boulevard to the west, and El Segundo Boulevard to the south.  Known as a “food desert,” and characterized by relatively poor access to healthy and affordable food options, it is in this area that Rebuild LA (RLA) focused their initiatives in the 1990’s; efforts spurred by the civil unrest that followed the 1992 Rodney King trial verdicts.  The disturbances left 55 people dead, thousands injured, and more than 1100 buildings damaged or destroyed.  In the aftermath, the city was left with a repair bill of almost $1 billion, and public officials were forced to seriously examine the plight of inner city residents who had long complained about the lack of goods and services in their communities, exacerbated by the burning and looting of businesses during the unrest.

  Several fast food options along a South LA street

Then mayor, Tom Bradley called upon former baseball commissioner and Olympics organizer Peter Ueberroth, to spearhead RLA’s “top-down” rebuilding project which would spur private investment in the target area.  Key to RLA’s agenda was grocery store investment as a way to bring much-needed jobs, and greater access to goods and services, especially fresh and healthy food choices, to poor areas.  The predominantly minority and low-income residents at the city’s core had access to less than half as many full-service grocery stores as did the majority white and middle-to-upper class residents of surrounding suburbs.

Full-service grocery stores offer a variety of fresh produce

The “grocery gap” in South LA still exists, largely because promises made by public officials and potential investors in the 1990’s, like Vons and Ralphs, never came to fruition.  There are other factors such as years of supermarket-flight from the inner city, and “red-lining” as fallout from the 1965 Watts riots.  Many burned businesses were never rebuilt and investors were hesitant to return out of fear, but also because the cost of doing business in the area changed dramatically.   Insurance rates skyrocketed after the 1965 unrest, and many banks would not give businesses loans to build in riot-torn areas.

But, the history of inadequate supermarket access in the area extends far beyond 1965.  At least a hundred years of transportation and housing policy, land availability, the evolving supermarket industry, racial prejudice, and other complex factors have created a situation in which poor residents of the inner city, largely minority and especially African-American, experience unequal access to supermarkets.  Many of those same factors operate today.  Also at work, demographic change in South LA has brought an influx of Latino immigrants, and Latino-owned and operated chains such as Vallarta and Grupo Gigante.  Although catering to a particular cultural market, these stores do not provide the same resources as the full-service grocery stores that once existed in the communities, nor do they appropriately serve the needs of African American residents.

The push for greater access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food options is supported by studies that show that stores in lower income neighborhoods are significantly less likely to carry important food items for living a healthier life, and that the quality and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in these stores is significantly lower.  Also, the largely disadvantaged African American and Latino communities are more susceptible to illnesses and disease, especially conditions associated with unhealthy diet such as obesity, diabetes, or hypertension.

South LA is saturated with liquor and convenience stores, and fast-food restaurants as its primary food outlets.  The issue is still so prevalent that last year, City Council members cited childhood obesity and the pervasive lack of healthy eating choices, as foundation for a year-long moratorium on new fast-food restaurants within a 32-square mile area of South and Southeast LA—with two six-month extensions possible.  There is enormous unmet demand for full-service grocery stores, and the supermarket industry is underestimating and overlooking the purchasing power and needs of lower-income, urban communities.  This series will provide a historic overview of the origins, and consequences, of the “grocery gap” in South Los Angeles. Stay tuned for Part II which will trace LA’s supermarket roots, including the roles of transportation, housing, demographics, and the 1965 Watts riots.