Food Mapping Project -- Franklin County, OH 
The Columbus Public Health Food Mapping Project uses maps of Columbus to show areas of the city where it may be much more difficult to buy fresh, nutritious food. For people living areas where it is harder to buy nutritious food, having a healthy diet is also more difficult.
This project compares the "balance" between available food markets (large grocery stores) with fast food locations. People generally will use the food sources that are most available to them, making this “balance” so important.
Patterned after similar work in Chicago, IL and Cuyahoga County, OH, the project attempts to identify geographic areas of this food “imbalance.”
Central Questions for Columbus
Are there areas of our community where it’s harder to buy fresh, nutritious food?
Could knowing these locations help us develop more effective, coordinated interventions?
Why is access to healthy foods limited?
Some communities (often low-income) face barriers to healthy food. They may have limited transportation to grocery stores or depend on small corner stores which can have limited food choices, poor quality and higher prices.
Food Map and Tutorial
The inter-active PDF map shows how areas of food "imbalance" were determined, where these areas are found, and the locations of community initiatives being developed for address the problem.
Mapping Food Access Map and Tutorial
February, 2012
Future Goals
This project is an important step in increasing community awareness about areas where it may be more difficult to buy nutritious foods. These maps can be a tool for strengthening our local food systems, and for developing new initiatives where they are needed most.
As new food access initiatives are developed, we hope to reflect these in future mapping projects. Over time, a reduction in the areas of food "imbalance" will translate into increased community access to nutritious foods, and better health for community residents.
This ties back to an important principal -- that all residents should have the opportunity to make choices that allow them to be healthy, regardless of their income, education, or ethnic background.