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Welcome to the Food Desert Website

Feeling hungry? No proper food in the house? Can't face that trek to the shops? Tempted by a burger and some chips from the local takeaway, or a chocolate bar, but it's not really healthy, is it? You may be living in a food desert. The food desert website tells you all about food deserts, why they affect everybody, the links to globalisation and social exclusion, and how the effects of food deserts may be alleviated or eliminated.

New book on Food Deserts now available! The Consuming Geographies of Food: Diet, Food Deserts and Obesity - the only book explicating the food desert phenomenon, how food deserts originated, why they exist, how they can be alleviated, links to obesity, the implications for global food security – available at all good bookshops from May 2014

Full Book Description and Voucher Here

Click here to see how many people have visited this site, by country, annual figures from 1 December 2008

Any feedback or comments on this website are welcome – please email them to hillshaw@aol.com

Part 1 - Food Deserts and Obesity

NEW !! Try out our new Food Desert Finder ©2013. Click here for the map (25 February 2013) (at present covers mid Wales and Midlands – to be extended soon). This map shows which areas, by distance, are Food Oases (500 metres from a fruit and vegetable shop), which are Food Savannahs (500 – 1,000 metres) and which are food deserts (over 1,000 metres from a fruit and vegetable shop). More to come on socio-economic factors and food deserts.

What is a food desert (27 July 2010) Original use of the term 'desert' in an urban context, 1990s definitions of 'food desert', food deserts as seen in other countries.

How did food deserts develop (18 May 2009) Development of grocery shopping in the UK from the 17th century (see Part 4 UK small shops) for the most recent developments concerning the independent retailing sector. Links to economic, technological, social, and political / planning factors that have impacted on the UK grocery retail sector during this period

Where are the food deserts (5 August 2013)? Welcome to Desertia City, see what sorts of places may be food deserts - do you live in one? See pictures of typical food desert areas.

Measuring Food Deserts (27 July 2010) quantifying their extent and intensity. See this page for distance-to-food-retail measures, and changes over time.

See our consultancy and mapping services here

Obesity levels worldwide (19 July 2014)

For medical effects of obesity, see The Consuming Geographies of Food: Diet, Food Deserts and Obesity, H Shaw, Routledge 2014

Table of Food Desert Research - 248 food access - related articles listed here (3 April 2014)

Part 2 - UK Supermarket development (back to top)

UK supermarket sales and profits. (20 September 2014). Annual financial figures for UK grocery retailers.

Non-Tesco - UK Supermarket timelines and store numbers (1 December 2014). Details key events, such as takeovers, new product development, new area penetration, in the development of UK grocery retailers, and the number of outlets operated in various years.

Tesco - Supermarket timelines and store numbers (20 September 2014). Details key events, such as takeovers, new product development, new area penetration, in the development of UK grocery retailers, and the number of outlets operated in various years.

UK Supermarket market share, and size of total UK grocery market (1 December 2014)

Current trends and issues in food retailing, for supermarkets (6 December 2013)

See also PART XII, World Socio-Demographic Data Maps, below

Part 3 UK small shops (back to top)

Current trends and issues in food retailing, for UK small shops ( 6 December 2013)

Current trends in Post Offices, as relating to small shops (15 May 2011)

Part 4 - World (non-UK) grocery retailing. (back to top)

Non UK retailing situation, supermarkets and small shops, brief history of selected retailers

European countries (6 December 2013)

Countries from Asia, Africa, and the Americas (1 December 2014)

See also PART XII, World Socio-Demographic Data Maps, below

Part 5 - food retailing maps, UK (back to top)

Click here for page linking to retail / food desert maps, UK and non-UK

Click here for INDEX MAP of UK - has your area been mapped yet?

Click here for INDEX MAP of EUROPE

Key to maps; map symbols this links to a page explaining in more detail the map symbols shown on the maps. For supermarket codes see supermarket code list

If you need an area mapped, or previously-mapped area updated, with precise locational data of small shops, supermarkets, markets, ethnic-minority-oriented shops and more, please contact Dr Hillary Shaw (contact details below).

Part 6 –World Socio-Demographic Data Maps (back to top)

Click here for index page linking to world socio-demographic maps – find out which country had TV first? Which country has caught up most with America’s GDP? Which country locks up the most people? Where are the world’s underground metro systems? And much more......

Now see the 3-colour dimensional world maps; compare and contrast the national rankings, for all world countries, of three different socio-economic indicators simultaneously.

Click here for explanation of maps

Click here for index page linking to the 3-C-D maps

Part 7a Historical Events by date (back to top) (100pp)

Click here for events 1 January 2000 – present (updated 1 December 2014)

Click here for events 1 January 1980 –31 December 1999 (updated 1 December 2014)

Click here for events 1 January 1950 – 31 December 1979 (updated 1 December 2014)

Click here for events 1 January 1930 – 31 December 1949 (updated 1 December 2014)

Click here for events 1 January 1900 - 31 December 1929 (updated 1 December 2014)

Click here for events 1 January 1800 – 31 December 1899 (updated 1 December 2014)

Click here for events 1 January 1600 – 31 December 1799 (updated 1 December 2014)

Click here for events up to 31 December 1599 (updated 1 December 2014)

Part 7b Historical Events by subject (back to top) (60pp)

Afghanistan – see Iran

Africa (updated 1 December 2014)

Antarctica – see Australia

Argentina – see South America

Australia (updated 1 December 2014)

Bangladesh – see India

Belgium – see Benelux

Benelux (updated 5 November 2014)

Brazil – see South America

Canada (updated 1 December 2014)

China, Japan, Korea (updated 1 December 2014)

Cyprus – see Greece

Denmark – see Scandinavia

Eastern Europe (updated 1 December 2014)

Egypt (updated 5 November 2014)

European Union & International Agencies (updated 16 October 2014)

Finland – see Scandinavia

France & Germany (European events of World Wars One, Two, here) (updated 1 December 2014)

Germany – see France

Great Britain (updated 1 December 2014)

Greece, Turkey, Cyprus (updated 16 October 2014)

Iceland – see Scandinavia

Indian subcontinent (updated 5 November 2014)

Iran & Afghanistan (updated 1 December 2014)

Ireland (updated 1 December 2014)

Israel – see Judaism, below (religions)

Italy and Malta (updated 1 December 2014)

Japan – see China

Korea – see China

Luxembourg – see Benelux

Malta – see Italy

Mongolia – see Russia

Netherlands – see Benelux

New Zealand – see Australia

Norway – see Scandinavia

Pakistan – see India

Poland (updated 1 December 2014)

Portugal – see Spain

Roman Empire (updated 1 December 2014)

Russia/USSR & Mongolia (updated 1 December 2014)

Scandinavia & Iceland (updated 16 October 2014)

South Africa (updated 5 November 2014)

South & Central America (updated 1 December 2014)

South East Asia (updated 1 December 2014)

Spain & Portugal (updated 1 December 2014)

Sweden – see Scandinavia

Switzerland (updated 16 October 2014)

USA (updated 5 November 2014)

Turkey – see Greece