Understanding Food Insecurity and Food Deserts
Submitted by Bhumika Patel, Pharm D Candidate 2022
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) , a food desert is an area where residents have limited access to a variety of healthy and affordable foods. People who live in food deserts may struggle to obtain nutritious foods, which can negatively affect their health and overall well‑being. Limited food access can also contribute to mental, physical, and financial stress.
Many households experiencing food insecurity include one or more family members living with chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, or anxiety. When stress is combined with limited access to nutritious foods, managing chronic disease can become more difficult.
Food Security vs. Food Insecurity
Households that have consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life are considered food secure. Marginal food security refers to households that experience challenges accessing adequate food, but without substantially reducing food quality or quantity.
Food insecurity occurs when households are uncertain about their ability to obtain enough food or are unable to do so because of limited financial or other resources. The USDA further categorizes food‑insecure households into low food security and very low food security.
Households with low food security often use coping strategies to avoid reducing food intake, such as eating the same meals repeatedly, participating in federal food assistance programs, or relying on community food pantries. In contrast, households experiencing very low food security may have disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake at certain times during the year due to insufficient resources.
Hunger is a potential consequence of food insecurity. Hunger is defined as a prolonged lack of food that results in discomfort, illness, weakness, or pain beyond the usual sensation of hunger.
Who Is Affected?
According to the Alabama Department of Public Health , Alabama is the fifth most impoverished state in the nation. Approximately 17% of adults (about 1 in 5) and 23% of children (about 1 in 4) in Alabama experience food insecurity.
Food insecurity is especially common among low‑income individuals, households with children, people living alone, non‑Hispanic African Americans, and Hispanic families. Hispanic households experience food insecurity at roughly twice the rate of non‑Hispanic White households. Nationally, about 1 in 9 Americans experience food insecurity, including millions of children.
Resources for Assistance in Alabama
Several programs across Alabama help individuals and families access nutritious food and reduce food insecurity:
- Alabama Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program - Provides supplemental nutrition support for eligible pregnant women, postpartum women, and children under age five.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - Offers monthly benefits to eligible low‑income households to purchase food needed for good health.
- Double Up Food Bucks Alabama - Allows SNAP participants to earn up to $20 per day when shopping at participating farmers markets using an EBT card.
- Break for a Plate Alabama - Provides free meals to children and teens during the summer months, when food insecurity risk increases.
- Alabama Food Pantry Directory - Connects individuals to local food pantries, soup kitchens, and meal programs. Assistance is also available by calling or texting 211 or calling 888‑421‑1266.
The food security status of each household lies somewhere along a continuum extending from high food security to very low food security. This continuum is divided into four ranges, characterized as follows:
- High food security - Households had no problems, or anxiety about, consistently accessing adequate food.
- Marginal food security - Households had problems at times, or anxiety about, accessing adequate food, but the quality, variety, and quantity of their food intake were not substantially reduced.
- Low food security - Households reduced the quality, variety, and desirability of their diets, but the quantity of food intake and normal eating patterns were not substantially disrupted.
- Very low food security - At times during the year, eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and food intake was reduced because the household lacked money and other resources for food.
References
- CDC: United States Cancer Statistics: Data Visualization . U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated November 2022 [cited April 4, 2023].
- National Cancer Institute: Breast Cancer: Mammograms . U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health. Updated February 21, 2023 [cited April 4, 2023].
- Recommendation: Breast Cancer: Screening . Rockville (MD): U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; 2016 [cited April 4, 2023].
