Food Insecurity and the Low Income Family Essay

School lunches are often unsung heroes of many modern American households. Frequently overlooked and disregarded because of their stigma, school lunches are a key ingredient that may help make the world a better place. Unknowingly, great numbers of individuals in our communities deal with food insecurities every day of their lives. It baffles me that in an advanced society many people do not have the resources to provide food for themselves or their families. Until it affected me personally, I was unaware nor passionate about the struggles of food insecurity. My passion for solving food insecurity in my local community has led me to gain both experience and leadership through understanding and advocating for those around me.

Food stamps are an important component of low-income families’ monthly resources, increasing the chances that families are able to meet basic needs (Ratcliffe, McKernan & Finegold, 2008). This form of food relief dates back to the Great Depression when many Americans lost their jobs and did not have money to feed their families. People were starving while farmers produced abundant crop that could not be sold due to a lack of consumers with buying power (Dorsch, 2013). The Federal Surplus Relief Corporation which was a part of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, bought basic farm goods at low prices and distributed the among hunger relief agencies in different states and local communities (Congressional Digest, 2013).

Listening to conversations about food on campus, I found that there was a common theme last year: it was difficult to find healthy food on campus.

After reading the extensive “The New Face of Hunger” (Tracie McMillan), my eyes became more open to the overall issue of hunger, faced by many people today. In a few words, I was absolutely shocked by the true meaning and examples provided of what exactly food insecurity is. Honestly speaking, when I hear the word “hunger” I think of a human who has no food, living on the streets. “The New Face of hunger” brought to my attention that food insecurity is much more than simply having no food. In fact, “In 2006 the U.S. government replaced “hunger” with the term “food insecure” to describe any household where, sometime during the previous year, people didn’t have enough food to eat” (The New Face of Hunger). Not only was I able to see the harsh

Food insecurity remains to be a current problem that is defined as the limited access to food due to low income. In 2012, approximately one million Canadian households were classified as food insecure. Certain groups such as, Aboriginals and single mothers, are at higher risk for food insecurity compared to other groups.

Food insecurity is a major issue in Canada, affecting millions people across the country especially minorities. In 2012, four million Canadians experienced some form of food insecurity (Tarasuk, Mitchell, & Dachner, 2014). This paper aims to focus on how food insecurity affects women and children, and the costs associated with it. The results of food insecurity can be serious mental, and physical health problems for women and children. It shall demonstrate the need for government intervention, job security, prices of food, and public policies to protect low income families. This topic was chosen as it is an issue which often gets overlooked by many middle and upper class Canadians. Often times when people think of starvation, they picture children in Sub-Saharan Africa. The reality is that women and children in Canadian communities are affected by food insecurity daily. Action needs to be taken immediately in order for food insecurity to be fully eradicated, and justice to be achieved.

In 1965, United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Stamp Program (FSP) began its organization to help low-income families pay for food (Super). Yet, this program does not provide the proper food choices in order for these families to get the necessary nutrients one needs. Many people do not realize the negative affects food stamps have when it comes to people’s health. Not experiencing something first hand makes it difficult for government officials to understand the everyday struggle of low-income families regards to buying groceries. Supporting oneself off minimum wage is hard enough but having to support a family off nine dollars an hour is nearly impossible.

As of 2017, millions of families in the United States live in poverty. As a result, this forces parents in between a rock and a hard place. This position of food insecurity, when someone is in a state where they are not able to access good quality food, leaves families with some cheap, unhealthy choices for food. Yet still, there are many other reasons as to why the United States is pressed with the major issue of food insecurity. One reason stems from the quality of American school lunches compared to those in other countries. Another is the link between hunger and obesity and the long-term health consequences of relying on processed foods for sustenance.

Nutrition is important for healthy life. Many people are still hungry around the world even though there is mass production of food. This is because of unhealthy food production. In today’s world we see many obese people because of high intake of high fat and cholesterol containing food. It is important to have a healthy diet/ nutritional intake for individuals to have good foundation for physical and mental health. Now a day’s healthy food is getting more expensive rather than unhealthy food. Poor people are forced to eat unhealthy food, while the rich can afford to eat whatever the please. Food insecurity is caused by individuals not having healthy food for their families due to their low income or political and

So there is a trend, but why are those with low incomes more susceptible to obesity? There are many factors. Low income areas lack in resources that produce healthy options. Residents are limited to convenience stores that have limited selection of healthy, affordable foods. Lack of transportation limits low income families because they cannot drive to the grocery store very often. In the occasional trips that they do make, they have to buy foods that will keep for a long time, until they are able to shop again. Preservatives in food generally make for unhealthy meals. “Households with limited resources to buy enough food often try to stretch their food budgets by purchasing cheap, energy-dense foods that are filling – that is, they try to maximize their calories per dollar in order to stave off hunger (frac.org, 2014).” For those who have no transportation, they may not even have the opportunity to travel to the social services office to sign up for food assistance.

Although many Americans are lucky enough to live with a roof over their heads and a hot meal in front of them to eat every night, the United States has witnessed a surge in food insecurity and poverty levels since 2008 due to several things. Now there have been a few programs that have been implemented to aid in lowering the number of hungry people in this great nation. In fact, as shown in 2008, just over 28.2 million individuals were receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. In addition, only two years later, that number climbed by a whopping 50% to over 40.3 million people. Every year, this number

Franklinton, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Columbus, Ohio, has faced issues since its first settlement and since, has had to deal with more. Often being referred to as “The Bottoms” because of its location and lower socioeconomic status, it has not been able to keep up with the development of Columbus. In the more recent years, great efforts have been put in motion to increase the quality and quantity of life in Franklinton. We will explore the redevelopment of Franklinton and the issues it faces with food insecurity.

Many people don’t realize the sever issue that hunger can bring to their community, only because of the lack of knowledge on the situation. Food insecurity is the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Hunger is a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat. Food and hunger are some of biggest social and public health issues people are dealing with in the United States. Over 41.2 million people in America live in food-insecure households, while 49 million are having a difficult time trying to provide food. 1 out of 6 people in America face hunger. This epidemic effects

The term food insecurity usually refers to the low or very low food secure households or individuals. There are many different ways to measure food security (Carman & Zamarro, 2016). Multiple studies have been done to find a common factor as to why food insecurity is occurring. A study done Zhang et al. (2013), they wanted to see if a rise in food prices could be a factor for low-income families. Food insecurity can be a result from being low-income or poor or even homeless. The Zhang et al. (2013) study comprised of 27,900 children, from various households with __________. According to Zhang et al. (2013), more than 16% of the children came from households with incomes below the poverty line. Zhang et al. (2013), concluded the scale of food prices effect on food insecurity can determine the measurement of food insecurity on a household. A similar study, in search of what can cause food insecurity, was performed to find if HIV has an effect on

One of most common problems in the world is food insecurity. It is not only happening in the third world countries, but it is also happening in the richest country in world, the USA. Food insecurity occurs when a family does not have enough food for all family members. The USDA confirms that 12.7 percent of U.S households are suffering from food insecurity. Food insecurity can be of two kinds: low food insecurity and very low food insecurity. In low insecurity households, family members just eat enough calories for their body, but their food is not nutritious. Low food insecurity makes up 7.4 percent of 12.7 of food insecurity households in the U.S, (USDA). The other type is very low food insecurity. The family members do not have enough food at specific times in the year because they lack money. This type makes up 4.9 percent out of 12.7 percent in the food insecurity, (USDA). Food insecurity most often happens in the households with children, especially households with children headed by a single man or a single woman. The USDA estimates that households with children headed by single woman have 31.6 percent chance of experiencing low food insecurity, and households with children headed by a single man have 21.7 percent chance for low food insecurity. The South has highest rate of food insecurity with 13.5 percent. The rate of food insecurity in the Northeast (10.8 percent) is lower than Midwest (12.2 percent). The rate of food insecurity according to states in the three