Food Insecurity in the Age of Covid

Everything is bigger in Texas, and it appears food insecurity is too. A study conducted by Feeding America found that over 4 million Texan households experience food insecurity due to low-income or financial struggles. Children, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, and working families are among those affected.

Certain populations appear to be at higher risk. In Austin, Texas, more than 18% of Austin’s population are classified as experiencing food insecurity, or nearly one in every five residents are without consistent, stable access to healthy food. Within that percentage, 11% of Black residents and 9% of Hispanic and Latino residents are among those who face food insecurity.

The United States Department of Agriculture outlines food insecurity as “the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.” Food insecurity is not only detrimental to our overall health, but can also lead to anxiety, birth defects, and cognitive problems.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it put vulnerable families and individuals at an even higher risk for food insecurity.

 The pandemic significantly impacted our food landscape, with high unemployment producing long lines at food banks, interruptions in supply chains leaving shelves empty, and lockdowns prompting some consumers to stock up on groceries. 

While our food system was experiencing major disruptions, the pandemic also resulted in job losses that left millions unemployed, doubling the rates of food insecurity across the United States and tripled rates among households with children.

Some ways families have been affected by the pandemic include:

• Increased economic distress related to job loss and/or increased utility bills or other household expenses due to household members being at home more than usual.
• A rise in food needs, prices, and shortages.
• Increased economic stress and food insecurity contributed to substantial psychological stress, adding to fears of infection, isolation, and stress related to children confined to home.

A study by UT-Southwestern researchers found that, “Despite federal legislation and state and local programs to alleviate food insecurity, COVID-19 exacerbated economic hardship, food insecurity and psychological distress among urban SNAP and food pantry clients.”

Another reason why the pandemic had such a drastic impact on food insecurity was school closures, which meant that families were forced to be at home all day now. Children were depending on their parents to provide them with the meals and snacks that school’s used to be responsible for. 

Now that the Pandemic is coming to an end, we hope to see a decline in the amount of families that are struggling to feed their children and make ends meet. There are a lot of amazing programs in Texas that are trying to combat this issue. Some of these programs include: 

• SNAP: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the most widely used federal nutrition program in Texas. Sixty-two percent of SNAP beneficiaries are children.
• Local Food Banks: Share free food and knowledge on low-cost, healthy eating with families in need. Assist families who qualify for federal assistance programs
• Feeding America Campaign: Feeding America has a campaign that calls on lawmakers to join the fight on ending hunger and food insecurity. Join the fight!