An indicator of a privileged living situation is having the privilege of knowing where your next meal is coming from without having to ask anybody. This privilege is defined as food security, having the security of knowing you have access to whole balanced meals. Food insecurity is the opposite of security; it is the world-wide social issue that people lack the resources to get food due to low income or lack of education surrounding nutrition. An example of communities that can be at risk of being food insecure are people who are unemployed. Food security and insecurity are important social dynamics to understand. These dynamics affect communities that you or your friends might be in and will have to understand. It is not fair that not everyone has equal access to food and learning about what makes a healthy diet. This idea is called food equality. Food inequality is the idea that certain communities do not have the same access to certain nutritional foods and educational programs. Food inequality and security shift depending on different time periods and social climates.
The pandemic has created many stressful situations in terms of health and safety, nutrition is not excluded from becoming a new concern. Throughout the two years of the pandemic, many families have been put in uncertain conditions or situations that may make it hard to put together a full meal for the family. Food insecurity has been thrust into many families and parents might possibly need to make their child aware about it. It can be hard to understand the three ideas (food security, insecurity, and inequality) if you are not living in it or do not know someone who is struggling with it. The pandemic has created the situation for more people to make hard decisions about how to best get nutritional meals for them and their families.
In Southern California, communities understand that more people are struggling with food insecurity and inequality. Specifically, that the gap has become bigger between people who are food insecure and food secure. The Los Angeles Food Policy Council is one resource that helps to fight for healthy and fair food for all in the Los Angeles region. Their mission can be seen in the three pillars the organization runs by: cultivation, alignment, and impact. The council cultivates networks throughout the Los Angeles area from farm to fork. The alignment allows for research and policy to take place in the LA area. The impact is seen when their collaboration is seen in the food and research given to the public. The council has compiled a list of COVID specific resources that families in the area can use to gain access to food and meals. Some of these resources listed are free meals for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) students, small business food delivery services, and many more targeting communities of people who might need support during the pandemic. The importance of the work being done is that it provides people in the Los Angeles area tools to get a healthy and balanced meal schedule for themselves and their loved ones.
The way to combat the inequalities in the food system is to donate time at food pantries and through food drives to support those in your community to get the meals their bodies need and deserve.
Works Cited:
1. “COVID Resources.” Food Forward, 9 Mar. 2019, https://www.goodfoodla.org/covid19 .
2. “Definition.” Food Inequity, https://food-inequality.weebly.com/definition.html.
3. “Home.” Food Forward, 9 Mar. 2019,
https://foodforward.org/food-security/9-organizations-fighting-food-justice-southern-calif ornia/.
4. “Mission & Vision.” Los Angeles Food Policy Council, 2021,
https://www.goodfoodla.org/describe-what-youre-all-about.
5. Wunderlich, Gooloo S., and Janet Lippe Norwood. Food Insecurity and Hunger in the United States: An Assessment of the Measure. National Academies Press, 2006.