Food Environment Atlas

Food choices and diet quality are affected by a range of interrelated food environment factors. These include proximity to stores and restaurants, food prices, food and nutrition assistance programs, and community characteristics. Production, distribution, and the safety of food, as well as access to healthy and affordable food, may all be impacted by rising temperatures, changing weather patterns, and increases in the frequency of extreme events. The Food Environment Atlas from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service aims to stimulate research on food choices and diet quality by providing data about food environment indicators.

The Atlas gives users a way to map a community's ability to access healthy food and to download the data in Microsoft® Excel format. Data layers include availability of food assistance programs, store availability, food prices, state food insecurity, socioeconomic characteristics, and health and physical activity.