Versorgung mit frischen Lebensmitteln in ländlich geprägten Food Deserts am Beispiel von Schleswig-Holstein

Fresh food supply in predominantly rural food deserts using the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein as a case study.For decades the local supply of groceries has been becoming sparser, not only in Germany. There are individual communities or larger regions without a single grocery shop. The question is how different population groups handle this situation, whether they perceive the current situation as a problem and to what extent they turn to shopping alternatives outside their own community. In this study the attitudes and behavior patterns of consumers will be related to the potential for adaptation and learning of retail owners and producers of fresh goods. The data were collected empirically between 2015 and 2017 using the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein as a case study. The objective is to appreciate that consumers differ in how they respond to a local supply of groceries and to determine how the supply side can find responses that will meet the needs of their consumers.