Hunger & Food Insecurity: One and the Same?
Photo Credit © Bongkarn Thanyakij on Pexels.If you follow the news, or even log into social media, you’ve probably seen a segment or a post about food insecurity in the past few weeks. Celebrities, community organizers and public health experts are all working to raise awareness and avoid widespread hunger amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of them seem to use the terms food insecurity and hunger interchangeably, so you may have been left wondering: is “food insecurity” just a fancy name for hunger?
Food Insecurity vs. Hunger
Food insecurity and hunger are NOT the same thing.
Both terms describe a state of inadequate nutrition, but food insecurity involves insufficient food at a community or household level, while hunger is a personal, individual ailment. In other words:
Food insecurity is a “lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life” [FN1]
Hunger is “discomfort, illness, weakness, or pain caused by prolonged, involuntary lack of food” [FN2]
Food insecurity does not always cause hunger, but community- or household-level food insecurity often leads to individual hunger [FN3]. It’s like squares and rectangles: hungry people are always food insecure, but food insecure people are not always hungry.
The Four Levels of Food Security
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) groups American households into one of four categories:
High food security
Marginal food security
Low food security
Very low food security
Households with “high food security” have no problems finding or buying enough food. The next tier of households with “marginal food security” may experience some anxiety about running low on food or an inability to afford certain items, but ultimately aren’t forced to make any significant dietary changes [FN3]. These individuals and families – who are considered “food secure” – make up 88.9% of American households.
The remaining 11.1% (about 1 in 9 American households) cannot consistently afford enough food. These individuals and families are considered “food insecure” [FN4].
Households with “low food security” report purchasing less desirable, lower quality and/or less varied food because of limited funds, but still buy and eat what they need most days. However, those with “very low food security” must resort to reducing intake and/or skipping meals because they can’t afford enough food [FN3]. As of 2018, 5.6 million American households (4.3%) fell into this final, most at-risk category [FN4].
Food Insecurity in America
Food insecurity affects nearly every community in America, but some households are more likely to suffer than others.
Families whose income falls near or below the poverty line, who are headed by a single woman (or to a lesser degree, a single man) and those with Black or Hispanic members are more likely to experience food insecurity. Thankfully, children – especially young children – are less likely to bear the direct burden, with adults often choosing to skip meals instead [FN4].
Disabled or unemployed adults, people who live in food deserts (whether urban or rural), the elderly and those with limited access to transportation are also more likely to battle food insecurity. These groups are at increased risk due to the extra time and money required for them to purchase nutritious food [FN1].
Thankfully, most of America’s 14.3 million food insecure households do get some reprieve. The average food insecure household is insecure for about 7 months a year, but – like most things – there are families on both ends of the spectrum. About one quarter only experience insecurity for 1-2 months a year, while the most vulnerable 25% are food insecure nearly every month.
Consequences of Food Insecurity
Members of food insecure households report worse functional health and are more likely to confront physical, psychosocial and social hardship as a result of long-term food shortages.
For example: food insecurity increases the likelihood of overweight or obesity in middle-to-high income countries like the United States – especially for women [FN5, FN6]. This extra weight leads to an increased risk of acute and chronic health problems. Health problems only add to the housing challenges, social isolation, and other difficulties already faced by many food insecure households [FN1].
Moreover, children raised in food insecure households are more likely to suffer developmental problems (e.g. ADHD) and psychological hardship [FN6, FN7]. They also have an increased risk for chronic diseases – such as cardiovascular disease, obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancers, asthma and depression – later in life [FN7].
Thankfully, federal nutrition assistance programs help minimize the prevalence and severity of food insecurity in the US – especially for mothers and children. As of 2018, more than half of America’s food insecure households were participating in at least one nutrition assistance program like SNAP, WIC or NSLP [FN4].
Food Insecurity and COVID-19
The number of food insecure households will almost-certainly increase with COVID-19 and the associated economic downturn. This pandemic has caused record-breaking unemployment, significant loss of wages and increased transportation difficulties, all of which contribute to new or worse food insecurity.
Unfortunately, experts don’t think this will be a short-term problem. Not only are farmers and ranchers struggling to produce food and transport it out of fields, there are also concerns about processing and how to move ready-to-eat products into rural areas or hard-to-reach urban neighborhoods [FN8]. As a result of these disrupted supply chains, economists forecast an increase in global food prices, which – especially when combined with decreased wages and a global recession – could easily push even more at-risk families into food insecurity.
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