NJ Has 1.5 Million People Living In 'Food Deserts,' Officials Say

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey has finalized its list of food deserts, and up to $240 million in state funding will soon be headed their way.

On Thursday, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) released a list of the 50 areas that are now designated as “food deserts” – areas where residents face a chronic struggle to find healthy eating options.

In total, the list covers 1.5 million people living in all 21 of New Jersey’s counties, the NJEDA said. The state's total population was 9.29 million as of the 2020 Census.

See the full list here. Learn more about the Food Desert Relief Program here.

The communities on the list are all facing a different combination of problems. Some lack enough healthy options at local supermarkets. Others are plagued by an oversaturation of fast food restaurants. And some simply don't have any way for people without cars to get to the grocery store in the first place.

Here are the communities, in ranked order:

1. North, Central and South Camden/Woodlynne* - Camden
2. Atlantic City*/Ventnor - Atlantic
3. Newark South - Essex
4. Newark West - Essex
5. Camden East/Pennsauken - Camden
6. Trenton West - Mercer
7. Newark North and Central - Essex
8. Newark East - Essex
9. Salem city - Salem
10. Passaic city - Passaic
11. Trenton East - Mercer
12. Bridgeton/Fairfield Twp/Lawrence Twp* - Cumberland
13. Paterson South - Passaic
14. New Brunswick city - Middlesex
15. Paterson North - Passaic
16. Irvington township - Essex
17. Asbury Park city - Monmouth
18. Jersey City South - Hudson
19. East Orange city - Essex
20. Penns Grove*/Carneys Point* - Salem
21. Elizabeth city - Union
22. Orange/West Orange/Montclair - Essex
23. Jersey City Central - Hudson
24. Perth Amboy city - Middlesex
25. Lindenwold/Clementon* - Camden
26. Plainfield city - Union
27. Pleasantville/Absecon - Atlantic
28. Red Bank borough - Monmouth
29. Lakewood North - Ocean
30. Jersey City North - Hudson
31. Woodbine borough* - Cape May
32. Long Branch city - Monmouth
33. Millville/Commercial Twp* - Cumberland
34. Prospect Park/Haledon/Hawthorne - Passaic
35. Keansburg borough - Monmouth
36. Paulsboro borough - Gloucester
37. Lakewood South - Ocean
38. North Bergen/West New York/Guttenberg - Hudson
39. Fairview borough - Bergen
40. Egg Harbor City* - Atlantic
41. Burlington city - Burlington
42. Linden/Roselle - Union
43. Vineland city - Cumberland
44. Phillipsburg town - Warren
45. Bayonne city - Hudson
46. Dover town - Morris
47. Bound Brook borough - Somerset
48. Union City - Hudson
49. High Bridge borough - Hunterdon
50. Montague township - Sussex

What makes up a "food desert," anyway? According to the agency, here are some of the factors that went into making their list: poverty, CDC Modified Retail Food Environment Index, USDA Low Access Score, supermarket access, SNAP enrollment, vehicle access, 2020 Municipal Revitalization Index Score, unemployment rate, obesity rate, density (population). See the NJEDA's full methodology here.

Over the next several years, an estimated $240 million in funds will be made available to communities on the list through the Food Desert Relief Act, which is part of the Economic Recovery Act signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy in January 2021.

Here’s how the program will work, the NJEDA said:

“The Food Desert Relief Program addresses the food security needs of communities across New Jersey by providing up to $40 million per year in tax credits, loans, grants, and/or technical assistance to increase access to nutritious foods and develop new approaches to alleviate food deserts. Through the program, the NJEDA will identify up to 50 food desert communities across the state in coordination with the Departments of Community Affairs and Agriculture; award tax credits to incentivize businesses to establish and retain new supermarkets and grocery stores in food desert communities; offer technical assistance on best practices for increasing the accessibility of nutritious foods; and provide grants and loans for food retailers of all sizes to fund equipment costs associated with providing fresh food, technology costs associated with supporting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) payments, and initiatives to ensure food security.”

There is an urgent need for relief, statistics show. According to recent data from the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, 800,000 New Jersey residents face hunger every day. Feeding America noted that 192,580 New Jersey children – about one in 10 – face hunger. And the number of individuals receiving NJ SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) rose more than 15 percent, from 769,331 in September 2020 to 887,467 in September 2021, according to data from the New Jersey Department of Human Services.

• Read More: 50 'Food Deserts' Proposed In New Jersey (Here's Where)

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