Food and nutrition security is important for all. This blog will explain what food and nutrition insecurity is, who experiences it, and what is being done about it. Enjoy!
What is food and nutrition insecurity?
Nutrition insecurity is defined as an inability to access or afford food needed to achieve health and well-being.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), there is an association between food insecurity and poor nutrition, with individuals who report being most food insecure being at a higher risk of developing diet-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Food security focuses on ensuring that everyone has enough to eat, while nutrition security ensures that everyone receives and consumes calories that contribute to their overall health. Moreover, estimates suggest that as many as a third of cancer cases could be prevented with diet and nutrition alone. USDA’s nutrition assistance programs can play an important role in decreasing that risk. This report summarizes how the USDA is leveraging existing authorities, resources, and touchpoints to support nutrition security with a primary focus on activities from the USDA Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Mission Area.
Who Experiences Nutrition Insecurity?
According to USDA Actions on Nutrition Security, poor nutrition is a leading cause of illness in the United States and is responsible for more than 600,000 deaths per year, or more than 40,000 each month. More than 4 in 10 American adults are obese. One in two has diabetes or prediabetes. The problem is getting worse. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are rising among children, with current estimates indicating most American children will experience obesity by the time they are 35 years old. Poor nutrition is widespread, with the overall diet quality score for Americans scoring a 59 out of 100, indicating that the average American diet does not align with Federal dietary recommendations. However, the resulting health burden is not equally shared. Certain populations are at greater risk for diet-related disease, such as Black and Indigenous children are more likely to have obesity than their White peers. Those who face food insecurity are also at greater risk. Beyond the effect on health, poor nutrition and diet-related diseases have far-reaching impacts including decreased academic achievement and increased financial stress. Societal impacts include lower productivity, weakened military readiness, widening health disparities, and skyrocketing health care costs. For example, approximately 85 percent of current health care spending is related to management of diet-related chronic disease.
What is the goal at Cornell Cooperative Extension?
To make progress on these problems, Americans will need access to healthy foods that promote well-being in an equitable way. Promoting food and nutrition security is critical to recovering from the pandemic, improving health outcomes, addressing health disparities and to give all Americans a healthy future.
As Nutrition Program Educators for Cornell Cooperative Extension, our goal is to provide nutrition support throughout all stages of life so families can achieve food security to support positive health outcomes. We also ensure participants are receiving support to develop healthy eating patterns that reflect nutrition security. USDA’S National School Lunch Program, Summer Food Service Program, WIC, SNAP, food pantries, farmers markets, and food buying programs are some of the programs we recommend to families to provide quality nutrition for their households. Having access to these assistance programs helps families achieve food security, and we can help connect folks to these resources. The availability of these resources is an approach to improve health and wellness, and reduce diet related chronic diseases to improve health equity.
Interested in learning more about food and nutrition insecurity? Interested in learning more about Cornell Cooperative Extension? Please contact us at fnec-admin@cornell.edu.
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