Food Deserts May Exist, But Do They Matter?

The food policy world is puzzling over two new studies that question the connection between obesity and so-called food deserts.

Those are the areas, often in poor, urban neighborhoods, where healthy affordable food is hard to find. But contrary to the current wisdom, the latest research finds no apparent connection between the type of food being sold in a neighborhood and the rates of obesity among the people who live there. It also finds that low income neighborhoods usually do have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. So if it's true that there's no meaningful connection between food deserts and the obesity epidemic, what should we be focusing on to help solve the obesity problem?