Multifood Supermarket opens in Windsor's west end

A new independentgrocery store opens Wednesday morningin the space where a Price Chopper once wasin the west-end of the city.

MultifoodSupermarket opens at 9 a.m. Wednesday andwill offer foods from several different countries, including: Asian, Filipino,South American, Indian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Jamaican and European, saidQingQingLin, theowner of the new store. There will also be local food, fresh meat and fish, as well as halalitemsin the 22,000-square-foot space. Those in a rushwill be able to pick up a variety ofitems like prepared, hot meals,sushi and bubble tea.

A food desert

West-end residents have been without a big grocery store since 2012 when the Price Chopper, at the intersection of Crawford Avenue andWyandotteStreet,closed its doors. The closure led to what some experts calla food desert. A food desert is generally defined as an area of at least 1.6 kilometres with a lack of access to fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthful foods. Food deserts typically are in impoverished areas, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

When the Price Chopper closed, west-end residents were left without a major grocery store betweenCalifornia Avenue andGoyeauStreet, a distance of three square-kilometres.

The average Windsor resident needs to travel 1.7 km to get to the nearest grocery store, according to research published by Carina Luo, a geospacial analyst at the University of Windsor. In London, Ont., the average distance is 1.3 km, while inSaskatoon the distance is 1.5 km.Luofound 10 neighbourhoods that could be considered food deserts, with most in the west end.

MichelleLegere, theco-chair of Food MattersWindsor-EssexCounty, is happy to hear there will is a new option for Windsorites in the west end.

"What's great is people will have the ability to walk there and get access to food, but what we hope is that food is affordable and nutritious at the same time," saidLegere,in a phoneinterview with CBC News.

Often people who live in food desertscan't afford to own a car and thus must walk, bike or ride the bus to get food, explains Legere. If a grocery store is too far away some will opt to go to a closer convenience store instead, where prices are generally higher, but selection of healthy foodsis usually lower.

Food insecurity

Manystrugglingcommunities, such as nearby Detroit,also have food deserts and residents with food security issues.

Windsor has one of the highest unemployment rates in Canada, standing at8.7 per cent in July, according to Statistics Canada. Underemployment is also a big issue in the Windsor-Essex region, noted Legere.

Soeven if unemployed and underemployed Windsoritesmanageto get to a grocery store,the prices for the items on the shelves and in the fridges and freezers might stay out of reach.

The cost of eating healthy and nutritious food in this regionhas risen 19 per cent since 2009 and has already risen 4.7 per cent this year so far, saidLegere.