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Developments and
Recent Findings on Food |
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Approximately 10% of the United States population experiences food insecurity. Remarkably, The U.S. Agriculture Department reported that this figure for American food insecurity remained nearly constant during 2020, with much thanks going to food safety net programs. In 2021, the Biden administration initiated a historically large increase to food assistance benefits within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), such that benefit amounts increased 25% on average over pre-pandemic levels. This increase is thought to more accurately reflect current costs for basic food needs. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as meaning “households were, at times, unable to acquire adequate food for one or more household members because the households had insufficient money and other resources for food.” Within the United States, Food Security Status (FSS) is a four-category measure, of which the most severe levels are: low food security, where households have reported reduced diet quality and variety—but few, if any, indications of reduced food intake, and very low food security (the most severe category of food insecurity), where households have reported multiple indications of reduced food intake and disrupted eating patterns, such as skipping meals. According to 2021 USDA data, approximately 10% of Americans experienced low food security, and 3.8% experienced very low food security. Within the United States, food insecurity is disproportionate by race, ethnicity, and geography, with Black and Hispanic Americans more likely than White Americans, and southern households more likely than northern households to experience food insecurity. Notably, American households with children are twice as likely to experience food insecurity compared to households without children. Greater than half of children born each year receive WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) benefits, and approximately 11% of U.S. residents received SNAP benefits in 2019. A study from the October 2022 American Journal of Public Health demonstrates that childhood participation in SNAP and WIC led to improved food security over the course of life into early adulthood. Insolera et. al used longitudinal panel survey data from 1984 to 2019 to follow individuals from birth through ages 20-36 years. These authors measured food security status six times from 1999 to 2019 using the USDA Household Food Security Survey Module, the full scale of which is high, marginal, low, and very low food security. Of those living in low-income households during childhood, 28% of study participants reported improved food security status from childhood to adulthood. Childhood SNAP and WIC participants had approximately four-fold higher odds of higher food security compared to those who were eligible but did not participate in SNAP or WIC. SNAP-only participants had approximately three-fold higher odds. SNAP participants tended to be younger and less educated compared to their eligible but non-participating counterparts. The combination of both SNAP and WIC participation achieved the highest odds of higher food security in adulthood, and the authors suggest that this could signal that food assistance benefits help to both purchase food and provide a form of financial stability, which has been demonstrated to positively influence longer-term food security. This study was notable in its demonstration that these federal food assistance programs can help participants both at the time of participation and over the life course. While the mechanism by which SNAP and WIC improved food security status over time was not investigated in this study, the authors consider that perhaps in subsidizing food costs, SNAP and WIC participants were able to allocate resources to other needs (rent, education, medical care) that could positively affect their children and potentially impact their long-term outcomes. The authors note that while SNAP and WIC benefits have increased, they benefit only families that are enrolled in these programs, and they call for improved access and minimizing barriers to enrollment to achieve maximum benefits for families and children at risk for food insecurity.
This study offers
encouraging evidence that food assistance programs are achieving gains in
improving American food insecurity.
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