'Food desert problem' prompts mom to get involved
Ashley Tyrner-Dolce, a mother and the Boston-based founder of FarmboxRx, discusses the threat of food deserts on chronic disease.
Consuming nutritious foods can make all the difference in health and well-being — but not every American has ready, regular access to fresh produce and other wholesome options, many experts say.
Millions of Americans live in food deserts — areas that have limited access to affordable, nutritious foods.
An estimated 53.6 million people, or 17.4% of the U.S. population, live in low-income and low-access areas that are more than half a mile away from the nearest supermarket in urban areas or 10 miles in rural areas, according to 2025 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
To help address the issue, Boston mom Ashley Tyrner-Dolce started a food delivery service to provide whole, healthy foods to Americans who live in these food deserts.
Her company is working to "eradicate the food desert problem that America faces," said Tyrner-Dolce, adding that nutrition education and food accessibility are not prioritized in the American healthcare system.
Americans' access to whole foods for better health and nutrition is critical, say experts. (iStock)
"There isn't a budget for food in healthcare," said the founder of FarmboxRx.
"For a true food-as-medicine intervention, we've had to enter the market where we incentivize members [to get] preventative screenings."
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As the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative targets America's chronic disease epidemic, people should be able to tackle diet-related illness by eating and cooking for specific conditions, Tyrner-Dolce said.
MAHA will help bring about new protocols, she predicts, to provide chronically ill Americans with the services of dietitians and nutritionists — as well as easier access to healthy foods.
As the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement targets America's chronic diseases, people should be able to tackle diet-related illness by eating and cooking for specific conditions, one health-minded mom believes. (iStock)
‘See what’s going on'
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, author and advocate Vani Hari, based in North Carolina, discussed the limited access to healthy fruits and vegetables in many low-income communities.
"We want healthy, organic food for these communities."
"I've personally visited some of them," she said. "I see what's going on in these communities."
She added, "A lot of it has to do with the lack of education and the lack of availability. And this is why it's so important."
One health advocate noted there is a lack of education and availability of healthy food in low-income communities. (iStock)
Hari referenced new legislation that would ban soda within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits for low-income families.
"Rather than treating healthcare as sick care, let's actually treat it as healthcare."
"The government should not be paying billions of dollars to [soda companies] and then not solving the root issue, which is more access to healthy fruits and vegetables. And that's what we want to do," she said.
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"We want to take that savings, that $240 billion over the next 10 years, and reallocate those funds to healthy, organic food for these communities."
Tyrner-Dolce also referenced SNAP fund allocations, noting that a "better idea" is to put a portion of SNAP dollars toward healthy produce and proteins.
Some advocates are hopeful that government funding can be reallocated to fresher, healthier and more wholesome foods. (iStock)
"But I do see that this [new] administration is going to shift the conversation around," she told Fox News Digital.
"Let's be preventative. Rather than treating healthcare as sick care, let's actually treat it as healthcare."
‘Incentivizing them’
In addition to shipping boxes of healthy food, Tyrner-Dolce's company gives members an incentive to keep up with preventative health screenings.
The company's meals and produce boxes are also covered by some of the largest health insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid.
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The health plans that partner with FarmboxRx will alert the members who could benefit from food delivery, usually due to a diet-related chronic illness.
"We are incentivizing them through food deliveries to go get their mammogram or diabetic eye exam, go to their wellness visit with their provider, enroll in a mail order pharmacy," said Tyrner-Dolce.
What's needed is "a true food-as-medicine intervention," said one wellness advocate. (iStock)
For Americans who find it difficult to afford food, housing and medication, Tyrner-Dolce suggested they contact their healthcare providers and community centers to explore diet and nutrition counseling options.
In this country, she said, "we have [somehow suggested] that living healthy and eating healthy is really only for the top 1% — and that's not accurate," she said.
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"Everyone deserves the right to eat healthy [food], no matter their economic status."
She added, "It is just a matter of putting in the work and knowing where those resources are that you can pull from in order to take that self-efficacy journey."
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Tyrner-Dolce herself experienced the issue firsthand — which is why she started her business, she told Fox News Digital.
In 2011, she said, she was pregnant and living off food stamps in a rural food desert.
"Everyone deserves the right to eat healthy [food], no matter their economic status." (iStock)
She said that trying to eat well on a food stamp budget was "incredibly difficult."
"I've walked a mile in the member's shoes that we have the privilege of serving every single day," she said.
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"I think in order to solve some of these really complex social issues … you have to know what these individuals are facing."
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