Confronting and Ending Food Insecurity During and Beyond the Pandemic: A Public Health of Consequence, July 2022

ABSTRACT

[...]we have substantial information across multiple disciplines on the drivers and consequences of food insecurity. According to the US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, food insecurity among US households with children increased from 13.6% in 2019 to 14.8% in 2020, and this increase was greater in communities of color.1 For example, Dubowitz et al. found that low-income African Americans residing in food desert neighborhoods experienced greater increases in food insecurity between 2018 and 2020, from 20.7% to 36.9%, compared with the general population.2 The impact of food insecurity on health care utilization during the pandemic is equally disturbing. [...]supporting local farmers markets that accept produce vouchers will, in addition to increasing access to food banks and mobile pantries for older adults and individuals with limited mobility, enable local communities to meet and sustain local needs in providing healthy produce.