Poverty rate and rate of adoption
of income support programs:
A high poverty rate can be a deterrent
for most stores, due to a larger portion
of the population having low purchasing
power. However, the possibility
of accessing support programs such
as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) or the Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program
for Women, Infants, and Children
(WIC) could represent alternative
sources of income for poorer households
and a source of demand which
could appeal to some food stores.
Thus, although areas with higher
poverty rates may be characterized by
lower food access, areas with similar
poverty rates but with more effective assistance programs may be less likely
to become a food desert (Bonanno,
Chenarides, and Goetz, 2012). Also,
the quality of the food products offered
may improve for those stores
benefiting from program participation:
for example a case study found
WIC approved small stores to have
adapted the level of “healthfulness”
of the products offered in response
to changes in program requirements
(Andreyeva et al., 2012).