What is food insecurity?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a family is food insecure if they face “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways”. Food insecurity is the state of being uncertain of when your next meal will be and how it will be obtained. Factors that contribute to food insecurity are but not limited too:
The USDA currently uses the terms "Low food security" and "Very low food security" to note the level of food insecurity:
The amount of homes in America that are reportedly food insecure have reached an alarmingly high rate. According to Feeding America, 42.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households, including 29.1 million adults and 13.1 million children in 2015. The majority of households that report having difficulty obtaining food on a frequent basis report having children.
- Accessibility & ease of access to transportation
- Unemployment or other economic factors
- Accessibility to grocery store
- Health of the head of household
The USDA currently uses the terms "Low food security" and "Very low food security" to note the level of food insecurity:
- Low food security: reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake.
- Very low food security: Reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.
The amount of homes in America that are reportedly food insecure have reached an alarmingly high rate. According to Feeding America, 42.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households, including 29.1 million adults and 13.1 million children in 2015. The majority of households that report having difficulty obtaining food on a frequent basis report having children.
What is not food insecurity?
Food insecurity is not hunger. Although hunger can be a direct result of food insecurity the terms have different meanings. Hunger can be described as the sensation that you have not eaten enough. Food insecurity is the state of not knowing when you will be able to eat again. Food insecurity is not poverty. Poverty can be a contributing factor to why a household is food insecure, however, a family that reportedly lives below the National Poverty Threshold is not necessarily food insecure.