In the past few years, the Department of City Planning discovered several “food deserts” in the city, generally in low-income neighborhoods that often show high rates of food-related illnesses, such as obesity or diabetes. Food deserts are neighborhoods where supermarkets are scarce and residents either have to take the bus or walk several blocks to reach desired grocery shopping locations.

We asked five East Harlem residents, an area considered to be a food desert, and five Upper East Side residents, an area not considered to be a food desert, how accessible fresh produce is in their respective neighborhoods.