Mapping is an essential tool to use when analyzing access to healthy foods in your community. VCC’s Food Mapping tool utilizes Policy Map’s data to highlight food access and limited supermarket access issues throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.
This resource brings together LSA Data, Food Insecurity, Food Stamp Recipients, and Population Demographics to help local governments, economic development authorities, and interested non-profit and community organizations dedicated to alleviating hunger and food insecurities in Virginia.
VCC’s Food Access Mapping Tool for Virginia shows food data through layers:
- The Reinvestment Fund’s (TRF’s) Limited Supermarket Access Areas
- Food Insecurity
- Food Stamp (SNAP) Recipients
- Population
- New Market Tax Credit Eligible
- Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Eligible
Additionally, VCC’s Food Access Mapping Tool for Virginia allows the user to look at specific data points located on a map.
These include:
- Various types of Fresh Food Retailers
- Location of stores that accept SNAP
- Farmers Markets
- Community Health Centers and Look-a-Likes
VCC recently contracted TRF (The Reinvestment Fund) in Philadelphia to provide two complete reports on food access issues throughout Virginia. The first report is a study on Limited Supermarket Access areas around the state. In this report, these LSA areas are broken down by how much food dollars are being leaked outside of a given geographic boundary.
The second report is a study of supermarkets throughout the Commonwealth and the ownership model of stores in major, minor, and rural localities throughout Virginia.