Food Insecurity Takes on New Meaning in 2020
As we have discussed previously on this blog, food insecurity generally refers to a person's ability to access enough nutritious food.
Access
Food insecurity seemingly has taken new meaning as we see issues with people accessing food across the globe. Where food insecurity has historically been due to socioeconomic reasons, 2020 has shown us new challenges, like:
- Empty grocery stores
- Delayed or reduced shipping
- Restaurant closings or limited hours
Earlier this year, even people with the means to afford food were not able to access it in some areas of the country. The USDA indicated that there are no nationwide shortages of food and the inventory at local grocery stores were low temporarily. Both the USDA and FDA are monitoring food safety and supply-chain closely due to the COVID-19 pandemic so you can continue to watch for information from these entities as we transition into fall and winter.
Your Role
What can you do to help mitigate issues with food insecurity in this uncertain time?
Education & Resources
It's also important to remember that many college students and individuals were facing food insecurity before the COVID-19 pandemic. With social distancing and/or shelter-in-place orders still active across Illinois and several other regions of the globe, access to community resources designed to address food insecurity have been significantly impacted while the need continues to increase. However, here are a few tools and resources you can use if you are experiencing economically-induced food insecurity, depending on your situation:
For anyone interested, the How to Save on Food module, part of the Badges program, in our Save course is a great way to learn about different methods of cutting expenses and modifying behavior in order to save money on both groceries and ordering takeout. An update to this content is scheduled in February as part of this year's Get Savvy: Grow Your Green Stuff webinar series. Register for Save on Food which is scheduled for Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at 12 PM CST.
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