Access to fresh food in vulnerable urban areas: a classification study of the favelas and formal establishments in São Paulo

Abstract The environment significantly influences individuals’ food choices. Vulnerable urban areas, such as favelas, can have a decisive impact on discouraging the consumption of fresh, nutritionally rich foods. This issue is exacerbated by the urban infrastructure required to deliver fresh foods to these locations. Therefore, it is essential to understand the context of the favelas in the municipality of São Paulo in terms of the food environment and infrastructure to support the design of public policies that enhance the presence of minimally processed foods in these areas. We applied the k-means clustering method to two datasets: the food environment of favelas, characterized by food establishments, and the urban infrastructure of the favelas in the municipality of São Paulo. Of the city’s 1,701 favelas, only 271 have formally registered food establishments. Larger favelas with better urban infrastructure generally exhibited a food environment with greater access to fresh foods. The results suggest that investing in urban infrastructure can increase access to fresh foods in these areas. It is also necessary to consider local specificities to find effective solutions that increase the availability of minimally processed foods, thereby improving the population’s quality of life and health. Resumen El entorno influye significativamente en las elecciones alimentarias de los individuos. Las áreas urbanas vulnerables, como las favelas, pueden tener un impacto decisivo en desalentar el consumo de alimentos frescos, ricos en nutrientes. Este problema se agrava por la infraestructura urbana necesaria para que los alimentos frescos lleguen a estos lugares. Por lo tanto, es esencial comprender el contexto de las áreas de favela en el municipio de São Paulo en cuanto al entorno alimentario e infraestructura para apoyar el diseño de políticas públicas que aumenten la presencia de alimentos mínimamente procesados en estos lugares. Para ello, aplicamos el método de agrupamiento k-means a dos conjuntos de datos: el entorno alimentario de las áreas de favela, caracterizado por establecimientos de alimentos, y la infraestructura urbana de las favelas en el municipio de São Paulo. De las 1.701 favelas de la ciudad, solo 271 tienen establecimientos de alimentos registrados formalmente. Las favelas más grandes y con una mejor infraestructura urbana generalmente presentaron un entorno alimentario con un mayor acceso a alimentos frescos. Los resultados sugieren que invertir