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Abstract: Food deserts are places in the urban environment of otherwise developed nations that are poorly served by access to healthful food. Included in these are vegetables, fruits, and cereals comprising the items needed for a healthy diet. The lack of healthful food imposes high costs on residents and is associated with health problems resulting from poor diets. We attempt to examine and refine the discussion of food deserts by using geographic information systems and remote sensing to quantitatively define such deserts and to measure the costs of distance imposed on consumers. Our initial application of these methods is in the small city of Lawrence, Kansas, USA, though the methods presented are appropriate for rural and urban communities as well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]