○ The breakdown of fresh food supply systems and the high proportion of the socially disadvantaged aggravate food desertification in rural areas. Food deserts, in turn, have left affected residents undernourished and thus vulnerable to diseases, threatening their basic rights to food and quality of life. 

○ Jeonbuk State is no exception to the accelerating food desertification in the rural areas of its cities and counties. However, this critical issue has received little policy attention. Thus, to raise the awareness of policymakers and concerned parties, this study aims to assess the rural food environment and review relevant case studies at home and abroad to explore potential coping strategies. 

○ According to the 2023 Food Consumption Survey, rural populations show a longer cycle of offline food purchasing and a lower percentage of online grocery shopping than their urban counterparts. Rural residents mostly shop for groceries at large discount stores, small- and medium-sized supermarkets, and traditional markets. All these statistics indicate that rural consumers have limited access to healthful and nourishing foods.

○ Food desertification in rural areas results from interactions between economic, geographic, social, and environmental factors, and food deserts are characterized by low-income households and poor public transportation. Furthermore, analyses have shown that food desertification leads to nutritional imbalances and health problems and even acts as a stressor. Notably, additional transportation and time costs incurred for grocery shopping increase the economic burden on rural households.

Wide-ranging projects are being pursued to effectively navigate food desertification, including the Revised Northern Food Basket in Canada, Food Hubs and Baltimore Health Food Priority Area in the US, Outback Stores in Australia, and Dongrak Jeombbang, a social cooperative in Myoryang, Yeonggwang County, Korea.

○ This study proposes the following policy recommendations to combat food desertification in Jeonbuk State: 1) Create a food desertification map in Jeonbuk State that can be used as underlying data not only to improve the distribution system of fresh food and daily necessities in rural areas but also to promote policy projects for residents’ health consciousness, nutrition education, and daily care; 2) operate a resident-centered food co-op that considers regional needs and characteristics; 3) provide the elderly with food baskets that organize a healthy eating plan based on nutrient recommendations; 4) establish rural logistics and distribution systems that supply food and daily care for vulnerable families; and 5) develop food desertification indicators to objectively measure the degree of food desertification. 

○ Given the terminological implications of “food” and “food deserts,” any social and policy discussions focusing on improving the food accessibility of rural residents should be based on the sensible and context-specific use of the terms.

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