Life in a 'food desert'

This paper forms part of the 'Food Deserts in British Cities' project. It reports on the findings of a series of focus groups conducted with residents in the Seacroft 'food desert' (in Leeds) in the period prior to a major improvement in their food retail accessibility. The paper explores individual food shopping behaviour, consumption patterns and attitudes towards a healthy diet and, in so doing, begins to develop an understanding of how different demographic groups adapt to living within a 'food desert'. The focus is on the perceived economic and physical constraints of residents in the area, but interwoven with this are other considerations such as motivation to consider health, family responsibilities and individual smoking status.