Food Insecurity is the limited or uncertain access to affordable, nutritious food. Hunger is a physiological condition that results from food insecurity.
Both food insecurity and hunger disproportionately affect the young and the old and have far-reaching negative effects on physical and mental health.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota ranks 7th worst in the nation for the share of residents with access to healthy foods.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians screen all children for food insecurity because of the inherent short and long-term adverse health impacts associated with it.
BEFORE COVID-19: The United States Department of Agriculture found that 15.0 million U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2017; and Feeding America reported that 1 out of 11 Minnesota households were affected by hunger, Minnesotans miss 100 million meals each year because of need even when food banks are considered, and Minnesota’s child food insecurity rate was 13.8%.
POST COVID-19 OUTBREAK: A study released May 2020 by the Brookings Institution found a doubling of household food insecurity rates following the COVID19 outbreak and that a full 2 in 5 households with children under age 12 were food insecure.