The Health Effects of Food Insecurity
Lucia Zhang ’25
Sydney Robinow ’25
Food insecurity, defined as a lack of consistent access to enough food to live an active, healthy lifestyle, is a problem faced by almost 37 million people in the U.S. (Feeding America, n.d.). As a leading nutrition issue in the nation, food insecurity is influenced by many factors such as climate change and increasing population, with poverty being the main cause. In turn, this negatively impacts an individual’s health. For instance, many are forced to choose between buying food and paying for their healthcare, rent, bills, and transportation, where oftentimes people choose to sacrifice their food for other indispensable responsibilities. To increase overall food security around the world, food waste and food loss must be reduced.
To elaborate more with data, 10.2% of U.S. households dealt with food insecurity in 2021, with 3.8% facing very low food security. These percentages have been on a gradual decline ever since their peak at 14.9% in 2011 (USDA, 2022). Single-parent, Black, and Hispanic households tend to face especially severe food insecurity. With these staggering statistics in mind, one should also recognize that the harmful health effects of food insecurity are especially prevalent among children. Children between the ages of 0 and 3 who are in a critical development period often encounter chronic undernutrition and toxic stress, which impairs their cognitive development. Food insecurity also causes long-term damages that may prevent them from reaching their potential in physical, intellectual, and emotional development. Overall, children in food-insecure households also face more frequent hospital visits. Similarly, older children who are enrolled in school encounter academic, social, and behavior issues. Teens facing food insecurity are also more likely to combat aggression, anxiety, and depression (Gundersen and Ziliak, 2015). This even carries into the workplace with the same disadvantages that block individuals from performing their best. Unfortunately, there are currently 13 million children in the U.S. who are prone to these problems, so actions need to be taken to ensure the safety of the next generation (Feeding America, 2018).
One impactful way that could reduce the severity of food insecurity is lessening the overall food waste and loss, which has worsened with the effects of the pandemic. With the wholesome food that some throw away, millions of others could be fed. As of right now, Feeding America rescues around 3.6 billion pounds of groceries annually, yet there are 119 billion pounds of food still going into landfills (Feeding America, 2022). If this large amount of waste could be reduced, millions of individuals would be able to experience more food security. There are also government-funded programs that work to help with food insecurity, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. In 2021, SNAP provided 12.5% of U.S. residents, or 41.5 million people with benefits (USDA, 2022). As programs like these continue to benefit people worldwide, we will hopefully continue our descent down to having little to no more food insecurity.
References
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https://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/reduce-food-waste
Gundersen, C., & Ziliak, J. P. (2015). Food Insecurity And Health Outcomes. Health Affairs, 34(11).
https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0645
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https://www.usda.gov/foodlossandwaste/why
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