Washington, DC (American Meat Institute) — The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ARS) has launched a new online tool, Your Food Environment Atlas, which allows users to map and compare availability of “healthful food” in counties across the United States.
The tool includes indicators such as health, demographic and food access characteristics.
To view this tool, click here: http://www.ers.usda.gov/foodatlas/
From USDA: Food environment factors—such as store/restaurant proximity, food prices, food and nutrition assistance programs, and community characteristics—interact to influence food choices and diet quality. Research is beginning to document the complexity of these interactions, but more is needed to identify causal relationships and effective policy interventions...
