What is Food Insecurity?

Food insecurity is defined as the lack of access to enough food for a healthy lifestyle. Food insecurity is a systemic issue that can happen to anyone due to a lack of adequate resources. It is often driven by financial factors like high living costs, expensive housing, or low-wage jobs. Even those with a steady income can experience food insecurity for reasons outside of their control, like job loss, medical emergencies, natural disasters, or family crises.

It’s important to remember that food insecurity impacts people from all walks of life. Millions of Texans are just one crisis away from food insecurity. But hunger doesn’t affect everyone equally – some groups like children, seniors, veterans, rural Texans, and people of color face hunger at much higher rates.

How does food insecurity impact us? 

Food insecurity is associated with numerous adverse social and health outcomes. That’s why it’s increasingly considered a critical public health issue across the nation.

Physical Health

Due to the lack of consistent healthy diet, those who experience food insecurity are at higher risk of malnutrition and chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes. In the households that receive food from the Feeding America network, 58% have a household member with high blood pressure and 33% have a household member with diabetes.

Mental Health

Experiencing food insecurity can be stressful as you worry about how to put food on the table for you and your loved ones. It can have traumatic effects like depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Studies have shown the connection between food insecurity and negative mental health impacts. Furthermore, not meeting basic needs like food and shelter can lead to social isolation, stigma, and shame.

Work

Without enough food, people who experience food insecurity may have difficulty concentrating, have low energy, or miss work due to illness. Since food security is often closely tied to financial factors, it can be a difficult cycle of needing employment to pay for basic needs but being unable to satisfy work standards without those same basic needs.

School

Multiple studies reveal the link between food insecurity and a child’s development and their physical and mental well-being. Children who experience food insecurity are more likely to struggle in school – such as being more likely to have lower grades, repeat grade levels, and experience bullying. Without their basic needs, it can be extremely difficult for a child to focus on learning.