ourgeneration
“food” – Google News
<p>A jarring awareness of <a href=”https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/measurement/”>food insecurity</a> in the U.S. has accompanied the health and financial concerns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, with <a href=”https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-blog/covid-19-means-new-normal”>record numbers of people visiting food banks</a> <a href=”https://www.consumerreports.org/food/americans-turning-to-food-banks-during-the-pandemic/”>for the first time</a>.</p>
<p>Even those not immediately in need were made increasingly aware of food insecurity in 2020, amid conversations not only of the economic fallout of the coronavirus, but also how structural racism has <a href=”http://doi.org/10.1097/FCH.0000000000000183″>disproportionately left Black and Hispanic households at risk</a>.</p>
<p>This conversation is overdue. Long consumed with <a href=”https://www.cdc.gov/cdctv/diseaseandconditions/lifestyle/obesity-epidemic.html”>the obesity epidemic</a>, Americans have found it harder to <a href=”https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16101804″>grapple with the issue of food insecurity</a> as a wealthy nation.</p>
<p>As a <a href=”https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VmCnHgYAAAAJ&hl=en”>researcher of food policy</a>, I have seen how people have focused more attention on addressing the issue of food insecurity in recent years. In 2000, just seven research articles with “food insecurity” in the title or abstract were listed in the leading database of biomedical literature. The total rose to 137 in 2010 and to 994 by 2020.</p>
<p>I am currently conducting the first <a href=”https://www.supershelfmn.org/evaluation”>National Institutes of Health-funded study of the charitable food system</a>, which includes <a href=”https://theconversation.com/how-food-banks-help-americans-who-have-trouble-making-ends-meet-we-can-workshop-this-headline-soon-148150″>food banks</a> – nonprofits that procure, store and distribute food, usually to smaller agencies – and food pantries, which distribute food directly to households that need it.</p>
<p>Although awareness of food insecurity is growing, it is important to understand what is meant by the term and how it fits with other food access concepts, such as hunger and food sovereignty. </p>
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<img alt=”An aerial view shows volunteers loading cars with turkeys and other food.” src=”https://images.theconversation.com/files/381332/original/file-20210129-23-ffi0u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip” srcset=”https://images.theconversation.com/files/381332/original/file-20210129-23-ffi0u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381332/original/file-20210129-23-ffi0u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381332/original/file-20210129-23-ffi0u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381332/original/file-20210129-23-ffi0u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381332/original/file-20210129-23-ffi0u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/381332/original/file-20210129-23-ffi0u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=527&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w” sizes=”(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px”>
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<span class=”caption”>Laid-off Walt Disney World employees line up in cars at a food distribution center in Orlando, Florida.</span>
<span class=”attribution”><a class=”source” href=”https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/in-this-aerial-view-from-a-drone-volunteers-load-cars-with-news-photo/1230097449?adppopup=true”>Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>What is food insecurity?</h2>
<p>According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture), <a href=”https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/measurement/”>food insecurity</a> occurs when households are unable to acquire adequate food because they have insufficient money and other resources.</p>
<p>Food insecurity is measured at the household level and reflects limited access to food. This makes it <a href=”https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/measurement/”>different from hunger</a>, which is a physiological condition experienced by an individual. The USDA does not measure hunger in the U.S. Instead, the agency sees it as a consequence of people having limited access to food.</p>
<p>The USDA has <a href=”https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/survey-tools/”>measured food insecurity</a> for 25 years. This metric captures both the uncertainty of not knowing where one’s next meal is coming from and the disruptions of normal eating patterns and reductions in food intake.</p>
<p>Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of food insecurity peaked at <a href=”https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=45021″>just under 15% of households</a> in 2011. Rates then steadily declined each year through 2019, when just over <a href=”https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=99281″>1 in 10 households</a> reported experiencing food insecurity. </p>
<p>But then came 2020.</p>
<p>Although official statistics have not been released yet, early evidence suggests that <a href=”https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/documents/reports/ipr-rapid-research-reports-pulse-hh-data-10-june-2020.pdf”>food insecurity rates hit unprecedented levels</a>, affecting perhaps <a href=”https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.13100″>17 million more</a> Americans than in 2019. <a href=”http://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2005638″>Households with children</a> were struck at <a href=”https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/07/09/about-14-million-children-in-the-us-are-not-getting-enough-to-eat/”>alarmingly high</a> rates, exacerbated by the closure of schools and child care facilities. In particular, Black and Hispanic families with children were disproportionately affected. </p>
<h2>Food justice, sovereignty and apartheid</h2>
<p>That Black and Hispanic households were hit the hardest by food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic is part of a bigger picture. <a href=”https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2017/05/what-is-health-equity-.html”>Food insecurity is fundamentally an issue of health equity</a> – the fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible without facing obstacles like poverty and discrimination. Even in normal times, food insecurity <a href=”https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=99281″>disproportionately affects low-income households</a>, Black and Hispanic families, female-headed households and families with children.</p>
<p>Families struggling with food insecurity face not only insufficient food, but also <a href=”https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2020/march/food-insecure-households-score-lower-on-diet-quality-compared-to-food-secure-households/”>insufficient nutritious food</a>. Because of this, people who are food-insecure have higher risks of a range of <a href=”https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0645″>diet-related chronic diseases</a> such as diabetes and hypertension.</p>
<p>Food insecurity can be exacerbated by living in low-income areas without access to sources of healthy and affordable food. These areas have often been referred to as “<a href=”https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/documentation/#definitions”>food deserts</a>,” although this metaphor is being phased out by <a href=”https://www.changefood.org/video/ladonna-redmond-food-justice-democracy/”>food justice advocates</a>, <a href=”https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.02.032″>researchers</a>, and <a href=”https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/03/11/updated-web-tool-maps-us-food-access-greater-detail”>government agencies</a>.</p>
<p>Another term that has emerged – “<a href=”https://pubmed-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezp1.lib.umn.edu/29135909/”>food swamp</a>” – describes neighborhoods where sources of unhealthy foods outnumber sources of healthy food – for example, the number of fast-food outlets outnumbers grocery stores.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, several other terms bring civil rights into U.S. urban food activism. “<a href=”https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-015-9625-8″>Food justice</a>” is a food movement rooted in addressing class and race issues, often through local community food production. “<a href=”https://viacampesina.org/en/the-jakarta-call/”>Food sovereignty</a>” originates from indigenous and global agrarian communities, and refers to the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.</p>
<p>Another term, “<a href=”https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/may/15/food-apartheid-food-deserts-racism-inequality-america-karen-washington-interview”>food apartheid</a>,” even more explicitly identifies structural racism as a root cause of food-related inequalities.</p>
<p>What these terms – food sovereignty, food justice and food apartheid – have in common is that they prod citizens, researchers and policymakers to move beyond issues of geographic food access and “<a href=”https://doi.org/10.1177/0020731420913184″>how to feed the poor</a>” and instead focus on how food systems can be reformed to address fundamental causes of food insecurity and health inequities.</p>
<p>[<em>The Conversation’s newsletter explains what’s going on with the coronavirus pandemic. <a href=”https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=coronavirus-going-on”>Subscribe now</a>.</em>]</p>
<h2>A new era</h2>
<p>Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration tightened restrictions on <a href=”https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/work-requirements-policies”>SNAP benefits</a>. Formerly known as food stamps, SNAP is the largest of the federal food programs, providing monthly benefits to supplement the food budget in income-eligible families. Food insecurity was a critical part of policy discussions of SNAP restrictions.</p>
<p>But the issue of food insecurity has seemingly seeped more broadly into the public consciousness in conversations about racial justice, economic hardship, school reopening, pandemic preparedness and the food supply chain that ramped up in 2020 – conversations that are continuing in 2021. </p>
<p>The recent rise in food insecurity has prompted a response that has at times <a href=”https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-pop-up-food-shelves-transition-to-meet-neighborhoods-needs-after-floyd-death/571369952/”>overwhelmed food banks and food pantries</a> and the providers of free meals. But more sustainable solutions, such as <a href=”https://www.povertycenter.columbia.edu/antipoverty-policies-programs”>anti-poverty policies</a>, are needed to address the problem’s root causes.</p>
<p>Food insecurity is not a new problem, but the current challenges come in an era in which more people are aware of the problem. My hope is that the long-overdue public exposure of America’s fault lines can be the catalyst for new efforts.</p>
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Posted by Jean Buzby, USDA Food Loss and Waste Liaison in
<a href=”https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/category/food-and-nutrition”>Food and Nutrition</a>
<a href=”https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/category/health-and-safety”>Health and Safety</a>
</div>
<p> Feb 02, 2021 </p>
<figure class=”embedded-entity” role=”group”><article class=”media media-image view-mode-embedded”><img src=”https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50900990968_0de29a5a38_z.jpg” alt=”Hands at a laptop” width=”640″ height=”397″></article><figcaption>ReFED’s Insights Engine features detailed data, analyses, and up-to-date information on food waste. Photo credit: ReFED</figcaption></figure><p><em><a href=”https://www.refed.com/?sort=economic-value-per-ton”>ReFED</a> is a national nonprofit working to advance data-driven solutions to reduce food loss and waste throughout the U.S. food system. ReFED is also a private-sector partner with USDA, EPA, and FDA’s interagency initiative to reduce food loss and waste. The organization has launched a Roadmap to 2030 and a new Insights Engine aiming to help reduce food loss and waste. This interview features insights from Dana Gunders, Executive Director, ReFED</em>.</p>
<p><strong>Buzby:</strong> In the United States, over a third of all food is lost or wasted, and this food loss and waste means that all of the fresh water, labor, land, and energy to make this food could have been put to better use. In April 2019, as part of the Winning on Reducing <a href=”https://www.usda.gov/foodlossandwaste/winning”>Food Waste Initiative</a>, USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) signed a <a href=”https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-epa-fda-formal-agreement-food-loss-waste.pdf”>formal agreement with ReFED, Inc.</a> (PDF, 783 KB) to help provide guidance and support for the joint effort. Can you please tell us about your organization?</p>
<p><strong>Gunders:</strong> ReFED was established in 2016 after the release of our <em>Roadmap to Reduce U.S. Food Waste by 20%</em>, which was designed as a blueprint for businesses, funders, policymakers, and other stakeholders to take action to address the food waste challenge. We take a data-driven, solutions-focused approach to help solve our national food waste problem, and we recognize that it’s a systemwide issue – we all have a role to play in reducing food waste. Last year, due to COVID-19, we shifted the focus of our work to help businesses, innovators, government agencies, and other organizations overcome pandemic-related barriers that caused an increase in food waste and food insecurity. And now to start 2021, we’re excited to introduce two new resources that can help the food system move from awareness about the food waste problem to action that can solve it.</p>
<p><strong>Buzby:</strong> Tell us about today’s launch of ReFED’s revised Roadmap and the new <a href=”https://insights.refed.com/”>Insights Engine</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Gunders:</strong> These are new resources to drive real action toward our collective 50% reduction goal. The <a href=”https://refed.com/”><em>Roadmap to 2030: Reducing U.S. Food Waste by 50%</em></a> outlines seven key action areas across the food supply chain that show where the food system should focus its efforts to reduce food waste. And the Insights Engine is an online hub for food waste data that offers a granular analysis of food waste by sector, state, food type, cause, and impact; a deep-dive review of more than 40 food waste reduction solutions that span all seven key action areas; a detailed overview of the funding needed to implement each reduction solution along with the corresponding return; a directory of solution providers to help bring a food waste initiative to life; and more. Our estimates are based on an analysis of more than 50 public and proprietary datasets, and we’re actively working with businesses and others to gather more data to refine our analysis as the field evolves. We also received input from dozens of experts and practitioners from the food industry, professional trades, solution providers, academia, and more.</p>
<p><strong>Buzby:</strong> How will the Insights Engine and <em>Roadmap to 2030</em> help reduce food loss and waste in the United States?</p>
<p><strong>Gunders:</strong> Our vision is that they become a trusted source of data and solutions for anyone interested in food waste reduction, and the foundation of the movement to halve food waste by 2030. We like to say that people can come to our site knowing nothing about the issue and leave with three things to do about it, along with contact information for three organizations that can help. We’re lucky that food waste is one of those issues that people genuinely care about – they have a visceral reaction to seeing perfectly good food being thrown away. But businesses and others don’t always know what they can do to make a difference. These resources can help them. And unlike our original <em>Roadmap</em> in 2016, the new <em>Roadmap to 2030</em> and Insights Engine are digital-first, so they will be updated on a regular basis – people can find both resources at <a href=”https://www.refed.com/?sort=economic-value-per-ton”>refed.com</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Buzby:</strong> What is the most important take-away for the food industry to know about the Insights Engine and <em>Roadmap to 2030</em>?</p>
<p><strong>Gunders:</strong> The Insights Engine can provide the food industry with the information they need to take action against food waste. And the <em>Roadmap to 2030</em> offers stakeholder-specific insights to help guide their efforts. We have pages dedicated to different food business sectors – producers, manufacturers, retailers, and restaurants and foodservice. We also have a detailed analysis of the investment required to implement solutions, with a breakdown of the capital required across all seven key action areas. And we’ve got policy recommendations at the federal and state levels, developed in collaboration with our partners at the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic. In fact, if all of the Insights Engine solutions were implemented, we estimate that the United States would achieve more than a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030 in accordance with our national and international goals.</p>
<p><strong>Buzby:</strong> Do you have plans to extend the Insights Engine and <em>Roadmap to 2030</em> to other countries?</p>
<p><strong>Gunders:</strong> All of the information in the Insights Engine and <em>Roadmap to 2030</em> is focused on the United States. We’ve been approached about taking it to other countries, but at this point, we’re focused on getting this first version out before considering that.</p>
<p><strong>Buzby</strong>: Congratulations to ReFED for the launch of the Insights Engine and <em>Roadmap to 2030</em>. Thanks so much, Dana, for your time.</p>
<p>For further reading:<br><a href=”https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/tag/food-waste”>more USDA blogs on the topic of food waste</a></p>
<p>Roadmap to 2030: <a href=”https://refed.com/”>www.refed.com</a></p>
<p>Insights Engine: <a href=”https://insights.refed.com/”>insights.refed.com</a></p>
<p><em>This blog series highlights the work of innovators in the food loss and waste world as part of the collaborative effort to reduce food loss and waste, which includes work by USDA, EPA, and FDA and private-sector partners like ReFED to affirm their shared commitment to work towards the national goal of reducing food loss and waste by 50 percent by 2030</em>.</p>
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