According to a new report about rural food retailing from 1990 to 2015 by the Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service, rural residents have faced a host of challenges in accessing groceries. One issue is the trend of large chain stores replacing small independents. Higher travel costs to access food are another problem, especially for residents in high-poverty areas with shrinking populations. The report says the median number of grocery stores per capita decreased by 40 percent for rural and urban nonmetro counties.
Rural Reporter