AN underserved neighborhood could turn into a food desert as shoplifters aggressively target the only major grocery store in the area.

The Giant Food store in Southeast Washington, DC, has already spent $300,000 on enhanced security after a huge uptick in crime.

There are no plans to shutter the location at this time, but community leaders are sounding the alarm.

Trayon White, a city councilperson representing the neighborhood, held a press conference about the issue last week.

“We had the opportunity to meet with some of the leadership of this Giant,” the local leader said, as reported by WJLA.

“What we heard was disheartening.”

White learned that the store has lost more than $500,000 worth of product, which is equivalent to roughly 20 percent of the location’s sales.

Management also told him about the $300,000 investment they’ve made in security but it apparently hasn’t stopped the thieves.

“That did not derail the people from stealing. In fact, the regional manager told us that people will have stuff in their carts walking straight through the door, straight through the door! With grocery carts full.”

He said that workers have stopped 135 shoplifters at the store since the start of the year and almost double that number managed to get away.

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Residents have also complained of feeling uncomfortable walking into the store with their kids due to the number of thieves targeting it.

“We know it’s tough times and we know the price of food has skyrocketed in the last three years,” the city councilman said.

“But we cannot afford to hurt ourselves by constantly taking it from the store.”

The supermarket is one of just four grocery outlets on the east side of the Anacostia River.

If the store closes, neighborhood residents would have to travel further to buy healthy food.

“(This) means that everybody is going to be without a place to eat,” White said.

“Enough is enough.”

Giant has 165 locations across Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and DC.

The company’s President Ira Kress said that violence has “increased exponentially” at his stores in recent years during an interview with The Washington Post.

“To say [theft has] risen tenfold in the last five years would not be an understatement,” he told the outlet.

“The last thing I want to do is close stores,” Kress said.

“But I’ve got to be able to run them safely and profitably.”