Grocery Galaxy

By: Joshua Winer, Maya Lee-Schonfeld, Olive Gelpi, & Olivia Rojas

What is food retail? Why is it important?

Food retail is the buying and selling of food at grocery stores, convenience stores, drug stores, big merchandisers, and food service facilities. Food retail is "all food, other than restaurant food, that is purchased by consumers and consumed off-premise " (Contributor, 2020).

Food retail is essential in many ways. It is responsible for giving farmers and suppliers jobs, giving people around the world access to food and water, and also influences the overall health and diet of children and adults. In addition, you do not need to be a farmer or grow crops to have access to food.

What populations are affected by food retail?

All populations benefit from food retail. However, some people benefit from it more than others. According to Healthy People 2030, "Predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods may have fewer full-service supermarkets than predominantly White and non-Hispanic neighborhoods" (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2024).

Definitions

Food Deserts-

A Food Desert is an "urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food" (Oxford Dictionary).

Methane-

Methane is a toxic powerful greenhouse gas that depletes the oxygen out of the air. It is harmful for our lungs and the atmosphere.

How does food retail affect the economy of the US?

Food retail contributes to many positive and negative factors. This includes inflation, being short of staff, and competition with other companies. "US grocery stores and supermarkets employ about 3.2 million people, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while those in the EU employ more than 5.6 million" (Ricadela, 2023). We think that food retail is a major part of the economy because some foods and drinks are taxed. All of the taxes go to the government to pay off the government debt. In the US, the average wage for food retail workers is $15 an hour while in the UK, the average is $13 per hour.

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AbstractFood retail is the buying and selling of food at grocery stores, convenience stores, drug stores, and other food service facilities. While food retail has many positive aspects, like providing communities food from around the world, it also has many negative consequences. Food retail contributes to the climate crisis through the production of greenhouse gases. During the growing, harvesting, packaging, selling and disposing of food, many greenhouse gases are omitted. These gases get trapped in the atmosphere and create global warming. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, and many others. When we dispose of plastic packaging, it sits in the ocean or landfills and takes decades to decompose. Likewise, when food is thrown out and rots, it omits methane. an extremely harmful greenhouse gas.

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