Hi internet friends! I apologize for my couple week absence from the blog. I’ve actually just really been craving more and more time offline lately and have barely been using social media. To add to that, my computer is currently broken and being fixed at the Apple mail-in fixing center, so I’m not working with my usual materials here. If the formatting looks off at all, please let me know wand I’ll fix it when I get my regular computer back! But in the meantime, thought I’d pop on to chat about food security today. Specifically, what is food security? Why is food insecurity a problem? What factors contribute to food insecurity, and what can we do about it?
I feel like food security is talked about a lot in the media and/or in academic spaces, but often times food security is not defined or explained, so my hope is that this post can provide background context for those interested.
I am working on a climate refugees post coming up, but for now, enjoy this food security post!
What is food security?
Food security is defined by the UN as the condition of people, at all times, having physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious foods that meet their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life.
As pointed out by the WHO, food insecurity is not just a lack of food. Food insecurity does not necessarily cause hunger, but hunger is a possible outcome of food insecurity.
An individual may still be considered food insecure even if they are not experiencing hunger due to lack of food. If they do not have the right amounts or types of food they feel they need to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, they may still be considered food insecure.
For example, let’s say someone is on a very tight budget and can afford some staple foods like rice and beans but not much else. Half way through the month they run out of beans but still have enough rice to eat to feel ‘full.’ This individual may be considered food insecure, because they do not have access to enough food and variety to maintain a healthy diet or achieve optimal health.
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