Food insecurity can be defined as the lack of access to food of sufficient quantity or quality to meet a person’s basic nutritional needs. According to the Department of Agriculture, approximately 10.5% of all households in the United States were food insecure in 2020, which translates to 35 million Americans, including 10 million children. Add to that the COVID-19 pandemic, where 4% of households experienced extreme food insecurity in 2021, where meals were skipped, or consumption was limited because families couldn’t afford food.
In addition, not all demographic groups faired equally. Black and Hispanic families tend to experience food insecurity disproportionately when compared to white families. Single-parent households and households with children also experience hunger in greater numbers. This is largely due to a complex combination of socioeconomic factors, including location, race, and other factors.
There are also many unique challenges when it comes to dealing with food insecurity between urban and rural locations. People living in both urban and local areas might both be experiencing food insecurity, but the barriers to obtaining nutritious food may differ. For example, people living in cities may live in a food desert, a location that offers little affordable, nutritious food, because supermarkets might not find their locations to be especially profitable. Those same people might also struggle with food swamps, which are typically urban areas with mostly fast food or corner stores as available food sources. People living in the countryside may struggle with some of these issues but may also deal with a lack of reliable transportation or must travel great distances to find food stores and struggle with fuel costs to shop on a regular basis. Low-wage jobs or lack of work in general may compound these issues for both groups.
A common misconception concerning the term “food insecure” is that all or most of the people who suffer from it are both underfed and underweight, but that is not always the case. The missing piece to this puzzle is the lack of nutrition. Eating simply to feel full does little to strengthen muscles, bones, and the immune system, foster brain development or optimize any of the other complex systems of the human body. Food purchased by people experiencing food insecurity is often low in nutrition and high in calories. Basically, inexpensive, processed food high in refined carbohydrates, saturated and trans-fat, and low in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.
These food choices are largely driven by price and, in fact, cost much more than money. Due to the abundance of processed food consumed by people experiencing food insecurity, chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and others are experienced at much higher rates than the rest of the population, making death from diet-related diseases the leading cause of deaths in the United States.
The effects on children and pregnant women are even worse and can lead to life-long and even generational deficiencies. Malnourished children underperform their well-fed classmates. As mentioned previously, poor nutrition can lead to weakened immune systems, which can translate into increased school absences. It can also affect brain development and even stunt physical growth. Expectant mothers who are not consuming adequate nutrition may have more complications with pregnancy and childbirth, including low birth weight and preterm delivery.
While there are many public and private organizations that are currently helping, much more work needs to be done. In Central Pennsylvania, the need is even greater than in much of the country, as it is largely rural and has high poverty rates. I encourage you to support your local food bank by making either a monetary or food donation. Another idea might be to connect with your local school district and offer financial assistance to help any children who have outstanding school lunch fees. It seems almost absurd to think that in a country with so much abundance, people still go without healthy food, so rather than ignore the problem, let’s step up and help our neighbors. In a future article, I will list more specific resources and ways to get involved in fighting food insecurity.
