Food Insecurity, and What is Being Done About It
Millions of Americans have been put out of work during the coronavirus pandemic, and this has far reaching effects. Millions more Americans than usual don’t have access to a reliable or steady source of income, leaving them with no way to guarantee a meal on the table. In the City of San Francisco — that statistic is an increase of 13 million food insecure people in two years — an increase of 260%.
So what does food insecurity look like?
Food insecurity is an indicator that accurately measures the conditions that can lead to hunger. Instead of deeming everyone who skips meals while still having the financial capacity to feed themselves as “hungry”, common measures of food insecurity take all accessibility factors under consideration.
As defined by Feeding America, “food insecurity describes a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life”. Unlike hunger, food insecurity can cause permanent damage to an individual’s health.
As explained by a 2010 report by the city government of San Francisco, food insecurity is:
- Linked to dietary decisions. Research shows that food insecurity impacts the foods adults choose to eat — variety decreases and consumption of low-cost, energy-dense, and nutritionally poor foods increases (more refined carbohydrates and foods with added sugars, fats, and sodium).
- Linked to weight gain and obesity. Research suggests that when food is available, individuals in food insecure houses may overeat, causing weight gain. Further, physiological adaption can occur in response to food shortage; the body compensates for nutrition and food shortages by becoming more efficient at storing more calories as fat
- Associated with diabetes and poor control of blood sugar. “Adults living with severe levels of food insecurity have more than twice the risk of diabetes than adults who have access to healthy food.
- Associated with higher rates of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, and poor health (these results were self-reported by food insecure adults).
- Associated with an increase in doctor visits and hospitalizations. Since many cases of food security occur in low-income households with little or no private health insurance, taxpayers may end up paying for the cost of the treatment.
Research shows that the effect of food insecurity is far more drastic on vulnerable populations such as seniors, the disabled, and children who are still growing — leading to permanent deficiencies and impairment of cognitive development.
Statistics for Food Insecurity and Hunger
- An estimated 54.7 million Americans struggled with hunger in 2020, with 26 million food insecure people.
- 22 million Americans live in urban areas with no fresh food.
- More than 1 in 4 children in Central Texas are food insecure.
- The number one call for help in Austin, TX continues to be for food stamps.
- 1.1 million people in New York City are food insecure.
- The amount of food insecure people within the nine county Bay Area is equivalent to the population of San Francisco itself.
- 1 in 4 San Francisco residents are at risk of hunger due to low income.
- (As mentioned above) In San Francisco, there has been an increase of 13 million food insecure people in two years — an increase of 260%.
For more information on food insecurity, check out the website to your local food bank or visit Map the Meal Gap, an interactive map breaking down the amount of food insecurity across America on the county level.
Efforts Combating Food Insecurity
So what is being done to combat this ever-growing problem? Perhaps you would turn to the food banks, pantries, and shelters, which are either funded through government funding or charitable donations. However, food centers across the country struggle to keep pace, with four out of five food centers serving more people this past year than ever. In urban areas, the norm is now a food center suffering from overcrowding and a shortage of volunteers willing to come in contact with so many people during COVID-19. However, this is not to say that there aren’t more people or more ideas combating food insecurity.
Enter the Nourish New York Initiative, which is “rerouting surplus agricultural products to populations who need them most through New York’s network of food banks”. As farmers struggle to sell their crops during the lockdown, leading many to turn to dumping and leaving their crops to be discarded, millions in cities are facing hunger. From March through November of 2020, “the State of New York has purchased more than 16.1 million pounds of dairy, meat, and produce and delivered it to those in need”. (Visit agriculture.ny.gov/NourishNY for more about this program.) As Governor Cuomo laid out his initiative from the New York State Capitol in Albany, two high schoolers on the State Capitol’s doorstep worked on a solution that would allow individual donors and requesters to get involved.
MealMatch is a nonprofit organization creating an app to connect meal requesters with those who can provide. Starting in the summer of 2020, the MealMatch team quickly developed the application, connecting with potential users to allow public beta testing for the app to open as early as this month. Having an app connecting individuals to one another has many benefits, especially during COVID-19; not only are both donors and meal requesters avoiding contact with large numbers of people, but in a sense it is establishing a direct connection (cutting out the middleman), so someone can deliver straight to the person in need instead of taking a stop in the middle at a food shelter.
“We believe that everyone should have a meal on the table for their family, regardless of their financial status. Through our application, we enable connections between private requesters and independent donors, organizations, or restaurants that can provide meals free of charge. By accounting for dietary necessities and enforcing strict privacy regulations, we ensure a safe and fulfilling experience.” — The MealMatch Team
The MealMatch app was selected as the winners for the Congressional App Challenge in New York’s Capital District (District 20), and is currently on Round II of the Conrad Spirit Innovation Challenge. The team, composed of teens from California, Texas, and New York, has also gone on to enter other competitions such as the Diamond Challenge and Sodexo Youth.
If you wish to join the public beta testing for MealMatch, sign up with this Google Form.
As people of all ages volunteer at local food banks and pantries, and others use tech tools of the future, to combat food insecurity — one thing is clear: you can never be too young or old to help. Together, we’ll be able to impact millions by providing for those in need, one meal at a time.
