Source: Michigan News
Concept photo of a person using their smartphone at the grocery store. Image courtesy: U-M Poverty Solutions.
Concept photo of a person using their smartphone at the grocery store. Image courtesy: U-M Poverty Solutions.
New research from the University of Michigan points to potential ways to leverage grocery delivery services to improve food access in Detroit, where 32% of residents live a mile or farther from a full-service grocery store.
The analysis from the U-M Center for Racial Justice and Poverty Solutions draws on a survey of a representative sample of Detroit residents about how often they use online grocery delivery services, what they see as the main benefits of those services, and why they may not use the services.
“More and more people are doing their grocery shopping online instead of in-person, and we wanted to understand if grocery delivery can help address food insecurity or if it’s mainly a perk for people who already have consistent access to food,” said Erykah Benson, a doctoral candidate in sociology and research fellow at the Center for Racial Justice who co-authored the research brief with Love Lundy, U-M graduate student in public policy.
