<p>Wal-Mart is making good on its promise to open new stores in food deserts, where residents lack immediate access to fresh produce.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Neighborhoods labeled "food deserts," as defined by the Federal Government are predominantly low-income areas, where residents have to travel more than one mile to have access to the nearest market that sells fresh produce and other nutritious foods.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><b>In 2011, Wal-Mart pledged to open 275-300 stores in urban and rural food deserts throughout the US by 2016.</b> Since making this announcement, the company has already opened 86 stores to serve food desert areas, according to the Tampa Tribune. The additional stores have also added more jobs in impoverished areas.<img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/food_deserts_map.jpg" alt="cropped_Image_031014" />"We really feel that as the nation’s largest grocer that we have a responsibility to do what we can to help people with their food purchases and improve their access to affordable fresh food," said Wal-Mart spokesman Bill Wertz. "We are certainly increasing the amount of grocery stores that we’re building and trying to locate them to areas that are under-served."<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In a recent previous article, AndNowUKnow reported on a study by Penn State University, in which residents living in a food desert were interviewed after a supermarket offering fresh produce moved into their neighborhood. <b>After 6 months, researchers found no difference in the eating habits of most of the residents.</b><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.andnowuknow.com/whats-store/can-supermarkets-packed-fresh-produce-make-difference-food-deserts/jordan-okumura" target="_new"> Click Here to View the Previous AndNowUKnow Article</a><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In that case, simply moving a grocery store into an area and providing access to fresh and nutritious food options did not by itself immediately solve the problem. <b>Certainly though, providing direct access to nutritious food is an integral part of the solution.</b> However, lifestyle changes take time and eating habits which have been established over lengthy periods may require additional education and outreach in order to change.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.walmart.com/" target="_new"> Wal-Mart </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
