Grocery Stores Shutter in US Food Deserts as Shelves Run Empty

Milwaukee community left without access to healthy, affordable food as Sentry Foods closes its doors

Published on Feb. 21, 2026

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The grocery store Sentry Foods, which opened in 2023 to address a food desert in Milwaukee, has announced it will be closing permanently. This is part of a broader trend across the US where grocery stores are shutting down in areas that already have limited access to healthy and affordable food options. Factors like inflation, rising global temperatures, and food waste are contributing to the problem.

Why it matters

Food deserts, areas with scarce access to healthy and affordable food, affect around 18.8 million Americans. In Milwaukee, experts estimate that 21% of the population lives in a food desert. The closure of Sentry Foods leaves the community without a vital resource for accessing nutritious groceries, deepening existing disparities.

The details

Sentry Foods opened in 2023 on Milwaukee's northwest side in response to calls from community members to address a local food desert. However, the store has now announced it will be closing permanently, citing "many factors" that were "carefully considered" before making the "difficult conclusion." This closure is part of a broader trend in Milwaukee and across the US, where grocery stores are shuttering in areas that already have limited food access. Factors contributing to the problem include rising costs due to inflation and climate change, as well as the significant amount of food waste in the US, which the USDA estimates at 30-40% of the food supply.

  • Sentry Foods opened in 2023 to address a food desert in Milwaukee.
  • In January 2026, Sentry Foods announced it would be closing permanently.

The players

Sentry Foods

A grocery store that opened in 2023 on Milwaukee's northwest side to address a local food desert.

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The takeaway

The closure of Sentry Foods in Milwaukee highlights the ongoing challenges of addressing food deserts in the US, where access to healthy, affordable groceries remains a significant issue for millions of people. Despite efforts to bring grocery stores to underserved areas, rising costs and other systemic factors continue to threaten the viability of these critical community resources.