“Starving for Nutrition” receives journalism award

“Starving for Nutrition,” a three-part series about metro-Atlanta’s food deserts and their impact on the high rate of diet-related diseases in Georgia, garnered an honorable mention recently from the Society for Features Journalism.

The series was reported and written by Gracie Bonds Staples, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution staff writer since 2000.

The series, which included videos, interactive maps and an extensive list of resources, revealed how challenging access to grocery stores can be for many people living in both urban and exurban neighborhoods and how other issues, including unhealthy eating habits established in childhood and a general lack of knowledge about healthy foods and how to prepare them, came into play.