According to Oxford Languages, food insecurity is “the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.” The USDA reports that over 38 million people (12 million of them children) suffer from food insecurity. There are a variety of factors that can lead to a household becoming food insecure, such as unemployment, living in rural and low-income urban neighborhoods with limited access to full-service grocery stores, a lack of public transportation or not owning a personal vehicle, having a minority ethnic background, and being chronically ill or disabled. Food insecurity has an adverse impact on children. It can lead to the development of anemia, increased aggression, anxiety, asthma, depression, suicidal ideation, and poor oral health. In adults, food insecurity can cause diabetes, hypertension, poor sleep, and hyperlipidemia (an unhealthily high concentration of fats in blood).
Since food insecurity can cause a multitude of disastrous health conditions, it’s important that governments worldwide brainstorm effective solutions to it. Let’s look at some solutions implemented by the U.S. government. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), under the USDA, lists four of their hunger and food security initiatives on their website: the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program (CFPCGP), the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Grant Program (FINI), the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), and the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). The CFPCGP helps private nonprofits fund projects that “promote the self-sufficiency of low-income communities” and “increase their access to fresher, more nutritious food supplies.” The FINI funds projects that help low-income people purchase fruits and vegetables. The EFNEP educates low-income families and youth on self-sufficiency, wellbeing, and nutrition. A 2020 report on the EFNEP claims that 93% of adults in the EFNEP improved their diet, and that 84% of youth increased their knowledge or ability to choose healthy foods. The AFRI funds projects that, among other things, improve rural economies, increase food production, address water shortages, ensure food safety and security, and improve human nutrition. One of the USDA’s most important projects is the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which provides low-cost or free lunches to 29.6 million children every day (National School Lunch Program, 2021). According to the Food Research and Action Center, free and reduced price school lunches reduces nationwide food insecurity by 3.8% and reduces poor health by at least 29%. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) gives low-income people the funds to purchase food. According to research by the Economic Research Service, SNAP benefits reduce the likelihood of food insecurity by 30% and of being very food insecure by 20%.
Being food insecure is extremely difficult, fortunately, the federal government emphasizes finding long-term solutions to food insecurity, and has programs that can instantly help individuals suffering from it.
References
Economic Research Service. (2021, September 7). National School Lunch Program. USDA ERS. Retrieved December 31, 2021, from https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/child-nutrition-programs/national-school-lunch-program/
Feeding America. (n.d.). Hunger in America. Feeding America. Retrieved December 31, 2021, from https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america
Food Research and Action Center. (n.d.). Benefits of School Lunch. Food Research & Action Center. Retrieved December 31, 2021, from https://frac.org/programs/national-school-lunch-program/benefits-school-lunch
Gundersen, C., & Ziliak, J. P. (2015, November). Food Insecurity and Health Outcomes. Health Affairs. Retrieved December 31, 2021, from https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0645
National Institute of Food and Agriculture. (n.d.). Hunger and Food Security Programs. National Institute of Food and Agriculture |. Retrieved December 31, 2021, from https://nifa.usda.gov/program/hunger-food-security-programs
National Institute of Food and Agriculture. (2020). 2020 Impacts: Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). National Institute of Food and Agriculture |. Retrieved December 31, 2021, from https://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/2020%20EFNEP%20National%20Data%20Reports.pdf
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2020). Food Insecurity | Healthy People 2020. Healthy People. Retrieved December 31, 2021, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-health/interventions-resources/food-insecurity
Ratcliffe, C., & McKernan, S.-M. (2010, April 1). How Much Does Snap Reduce Food Insecurity? USDA ERS. Retrieved December 31, 2021, from https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=84335