The Importance Of Food Insecurity Essay Example

In 2019, 34.9 percent of households with incomes below the Federal poverty line were food insecure (ERS). Food insecurities and poverty go hand in hand as shown from the statistic above. Single parent, Black, and Hispanic households all have a higher national average for food insecurities (ERS). Covid-19 has also caused the rate to trend upwards of the number of food insecurities cases. Food insecurities which can be broken down into four tiers; causes many Americans to live paycheck to paycheck and have severe mental and physical health risks; Many solutions are being worked on and planned out in the present.  

The four tiers of food insecurities are high food security, marginal food security, low food security, and exceptionally low food security. High food security means the household is having no problems at all. Marginal food security, the household had times where they had problems accessing food but most of the time have no issues. Low food security is where the crucial issues start; the quality of food starts to get worse leading to health risk. Incredibly low food security is the worse, the quality and quantity of food gets worse, leading to more severe health risks.  

The first two tiers high food security, and marginal food security, are families who have zero to little problems with food. In 2019 eighty-nine-point five percent of the U.S population was said to be food secure. That number equates to one hundred sixteen million people were food secure in 2019 in the United States. Most of the population is food secure, so the conscious effort must go to helping those who are food insecure.  

The last two mentioned are the food insecure problems, which affect millions across America.  

Low food security, and exceptionally low food security which are the two lowest tiers of the four mentioned above; can be long term or temporary, many varied factors influence how long and when this problem strikes. 17.4 million households were included in these two tiers, having been food insecure. Low food security, and exceptionally low food security which are the two lowest tiers of the four mentioned above; can be long term or temporary, many varied factors influence how long and when this problem strikes. 17.4 million households were included in these two tiers, having been food insecure. Which equates to be about one in every nine Americans, which is thirty-seven million that were food insecure. (Feeding America) Also included in the two lowest tiers are the eleven million children that were reported as food insecure. When households classify as low food and exceptionally low food security, they are living paycheck to paycheck.  

With many households suffering from food insecurities, many also struggle with income.  Four million people with disabilities, thirteen million children, and eleven million were in poverty. (Feeding America) The poverty line in the United states for a family of four is twenty-five thousand one hundred dollars per year, the average family spends sixty-one thousand two hundred and four dollars per year. (OBERLO) Eleven percent of all adults and seventeen percent of children lived in food insecure houses.  

With families living paycheck to paycheck, they might go without much food for extended periods of time. This is a major issue because that would decrease a person’s overall health. This is a major issue in my hometown of New Castle, I seen kids everyday get free lunch at my high school who looked malnourished. When I was student council president I went and gave food generated from our annual food drive, to people who suffered from food insecurities; so, they could have Thanksgiving dinner. 

Helping those families out was a revelation for me. I saw food insecurities firsthand and helped those in need with this growing issue. The happiness on the faces of the people was the best part to know I helped to make a person happy by providing food they need is all I could ask for. One person recently had their house burnt down in a fire, so for thanksgiving we covered their meals, and made sure they could enjoy thanksgiving. That is an experience that will stay with me until this issue is fixed and resolved. 

With Covid-19 prevalent cases of depression and anxiety have soared, these are also linked to food insecurities (YSU (Youngstown State University)). The relationship between food insecurities and depression has been studied thoroughly. Food insecurities can affect the mental health of a person through the means of chronic stress, stigmatization, and the Perception of powerlessness. (YSU) With poor mental health the inability to work, generate income, or manage finances are outcomes some people face. During a U.S census Pertaining to food sufficiency status, 93.8% of people reported mental health issues. Many physical health risks are also prevalent when talking about food insecurities. 

A lower intake of nutrient is such an example of a physical health risk. Nutritional deficiency can lead to digestion problems, skin disorders, stunted or defective bone growth, and even dementia. Another health risk is anemia, this leaves you feeling tired and weak. This can be a long term or temporary effect, and it can be extremely mild and have extremely severe cases.  

Many solutions are being worked on and formulated as we speak. One such solution being my best friend’s grandma runs a joint pantry with the Church of Genesis, called the neighborhood pantry. The pantry was birthed as an outreach ministry of the Church of Genesis in order to assist individuals in their times of need. “The people we serve are those who find themselves in a situation that other help is just not enough; they may have just lost their job, had a medical crisis, or just haven’t been able to make ends meet #Foodforthought” (Neighborhood pantry 2019). The reduction of food waste is another solution to the problem; about one billion point three tons of food is wasted globally each year. Also promoting by diversification, we can fight food insecurities; By not focusing on a single crop, more diverse options and nutrient rich diets can happen.  

In conclusion food insecurities cause serve mental and physical health risk; it can be split up into four different tiers. Financial troubles Coincide with it also, many that live paycheck to paycheck experience this issue. Solutions are being worked on; everyday solutions are being formulated. The future is bright for the issue to be solved as the world starts to realize the problem at hand. Much more research and exposure has happened recently in the United States.