Food Insecurity in America

ISHAN VAISH – Food insecurity is defined as the inability to access an appropriate amount of food due to a lack of resources or money. For the past decade, food insecurity had been decreasing in America; however, the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in this trend. While researchers are still calculating the exact increase in the number of food-insecure houses, an estimated 17 million more Americans were food insecure in 2020 than in 2019. 

Food insecurity overwhelmingly impacts low-income families. Being below the poverty line makes it harder to buy food, and it especially decreases access to nutritious food. While the price of produce went up by 75% between 1989 and 2004, fatty foods saw price drops of about 26% in this time period. Even if people can afford to make healthier food choices, food deserts often arise in urban and rural communities because supermarkets are not financially sustainable. Without access to proper nutrition, low-income individuals disproportionately suffer from obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. 

Though food insecurity is a chronic problem in America, in the past decade, several major strides have been made to resolve this crisis. Michelle Obama had used her platform as the first lady to promote healthy eating. Her social activism was aided by $400 million tax breaks given to supermarkets that opened in food deserts. At the same time, major cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, and New York City had implemented their own programs to promote the opening of grocery stores. In spite of this progress, it may be surprising that food security became so prevalent at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are several key factors that prevented the current solutions in place from combating food insecurity. 

A large source of food insecurity continues to stem from the cost of buying food. While several initiatives from the past decade have increased the number of grocery stores available to consumers, little has been done on a national level to address the increasing cost of buying groceries. As COVID-19 swept across the nation, millions of Americans lost their jobs. They could no longer afford to shop at the grocery stores in their communities. While several states led initiatives to distribute free meals, Congress failed to take action after the initial rollout of their emergency allotments and Pandemic EBT program. The emergency allotments allowed states to give temporary increases in benefits for the duration of the state’s disaster declaration. The Pandemic EBT program supplemented the free meals students received at school but were no longer receiving because of the quarantine. Both of these programs were initially helpful, but Congress failed to provide the additional support that was needed. 

For example, Congress waited until October to renew the EBT program for the 2020-2021 school year, and the USDA took an additional six weeks to announce that states would be responsible for submitting a plan that the USDA could potentially approve. This left millions of families hanging for the last six months of 2020. The Biden administration is working to expedite funding distribution as quickly as possible, but one in five households with children is currently reporting an inability to buy needed food. Simultaneously, little was done to expand the amount of food that could be purchased under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP). The lack of attention to SNAP and food stamps reflects the growing partisan divide towards the programs. Under the Obama administration, food stamp qualifications were significantly lowered allowing millions to join the program; however, the Trump administration had tried to implement several policies to restrict food stamp accessibility. Though millions of Americans will likely qualify for food stamps because of the pandemic, without increasing the SNAP benefits, many will still be unable to access sufficient amounts of food. 

Another factor that many forget is the agricultural supply chain itself. Before the onset of COVID-19, America’s agricultural supply chain had been a prime example of an efficient and relatively affordable model of food distribution. However, COVID-19 dissipated the labor force needed to maintain such a supply chain. Simultaneously, as people began living at home full time, their dietary needs changed quicker than food plants could respond. This led to a varying supply of food available at grocery stores and changes in price to accommodate the supply of food available. This has significantly impacted low-income families who cannot afford to go to the grocery store multiple times per week and pay higher prices. 

A final source of America’s increased food insecurity has stemmed from the overburdened non-profit sector. Many who are food insecure have been turning to local food banks for assistance. The government has increased funding for food banks in the past year, and the Biden Administration will likely provide further financial assistance later this year. However, food banks are operating at such high capacities that federal funding has not been sufficient. Simultaneously, out of fears of COVID-19, most schools and offices did not participate in canned and boxed food drives which help food banks deal with the routine food-insecurity increases during the winter months. This has left food banks scrambling to find ways to cater to the millions of Americans who cannot afford to buy their meals.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly delineated structural failures in the way people purchase and consume food. However, there are steps the US government can take to drastically reduce food insecurity. By far the most effective solution would be to increase SNAP benefits. Current estimates post that even a $160 increase in SNAP benefits would decrease food insecurity amongst SNAP recipients by approximately 60 percent. Additionally, changes such as raising the gross income and net income thresholds can account for the millions of Americans who fall through the current food insecurity nets. Moreover, continuing the USDA’s ‘food box’ program would provide a successful approach to combating the problems faced by the supply chain and food banks. The USDA spent billions of dollars to buy produce, meat, and milk from farmers. They then distributed this food to low-income families. This enabled food to reach consumers and lowered the burden on food banks by providing an estimated 40 million food boxes. Finally, an increase in the federal minimum wage may significantly increase buying power for millions and make eating healthy more accessible. 

While the COVID-19 pandemic may finally come to an end, food insecurity is a problem that existed before and will likely exist after the coronavirus. Although it may seem like a daunting challenge, the United States Federal Governments has the tools needed to craft a solution and adequately address this crisis. By making the appropriate changes now, the government may be able to end food insecurity in America once in for all. 

Copy Editor: Morenike Isola

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