In many low-income communities across the country,
the only places to buy food are fast-food and
convenience stores that sell fatty, sugary, processed
foods. Some communities have no food vendors of any
kind. This lack of access to healthy food makes it difficult
for families to eat well, fueling the country’s growing
obesity epidemic and the severe health problems that
accompany it. Bad food makes for bad economics as well.
Communities without full-service grocery retailers also
lose out on the benefits these retailers bring: steady jobs,
decent wages, and foot traffic that promotes additional
commercial activity. Fortunately, scalable solutions are
emerging—solutions that can improve health, spark
economic development, and help transform underserved
communities into communities of opportunity.

http://www.policylink.org/atf/cf/%7B97c6d565-bb43-406d-a6d5-eca3bbf35af0%7D/HFHC_SHORT_FINAL.PDF