The Mineral Point food desert

You cannot buy a carrot in Mineral Point, WI.

They're not illegal; folks there like them just fine. The problem is that -- since the grocery store closed down -- the town of 2,500 has become a "food desert."


Now, there's plenty of "food," if you want to call it that. The Dollar General offers packaged crackers, cereal, and other dry goods. And the Kwik Trip gas station convenience stores offer rows and rows of beef jerky, frozen pizzas, energy drinks, and potato chips. One gas station had a produce section, but it didn't have any carrots.

If you want a bag of flour, a crown of broccoli, or a head of lettuce, you have to drive at least 15 minutes away. The best they can do around here is a snack pack or a $7 salad.

It's ironic because Mineral Point is surrounded by miles and miles of prime agricultural land (dedicated to corn and soybeans) in the #3 U.S. state for carrot production. [Source]

Nevertheless, "Recent grocery store closures in the rural Midwest have created food deserts even in towns where agriculture is the primary industry." [Source]

As you can guess, there are serious long-term health challenges to this. We're not starving -- in fact, we have an obesity problem. It's that we're being starved for good choices. Forced to choose between healthy or convenient, with the time costs of "healthy" going up, we will inevitably choose the latter more often. It's the same cruel tragedy as in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner (link).

Except here it's:
Food, food everywhere,
Yet not a healthy bite to eat.