Hong Chen

This study analyzes the changes of three discount supermarket chains in the Greater Toronto Area during the last decade and the implications for the formation of food deserts. A multi-method approach is adopted, including circular and customer-spotting methods of trade area delimitation, cluster analysis for classification of socially deprived neighborhoods, and the Union tool to overlay trade areas with socially deprived neighborhoods to identify potential food deserts. The findings from the customer spotting method indicate that only 1% of the GTA households that reside in the socially deprived neighborhoods live outside the trade areas of the 172 discount supermarkets (i .e., in potential food deserts). The retailers thus may consider their existing distribution networks quite effective and see no need to open new stores or to change store locations. However, the I km circular method shows that 13% of the GTA households that reside in the socially deprived neighborhoods live in potential food deserts, and may have difficulty accessing afforllable healthy food. The food retailers are encouraged to take more social responsibilities and are urged to consider providing equal opportunity (including adding new stores) for all shoppers, especially those living in the potential food deserts.