Transcript Food Security and Food Shopping

Racing Toward Food Security by
Teaching Food Shopping
Pat Brinkman
Cheryle Jones Syracuse
Definitions
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Food Security- access by all people at all times to
enough food for an active and healthy life
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Food Insecurity without hunger- limited or
uncertain ability to acquire or consume an adequate
quality and of sufficient quantity of food in socially
acceptable ways: inadequate resources to buy
enough food and can’t afford to eat balanced meals
Definitions (continued)
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Food Insecurity with hunger— the uneasy or
painful sensation caused by a recurrent or
involuntary lack of food, which can over time lead to
malnutrition. Families have decreased quality as well
as quantity of food they consume. Repeated
patterns of hunger. Forced to cut back on the size of
children’s meals in order to make ends meet.
Source: Boyle, M, 2003 Community Nutrition in Action: An Entrepreneurial Approach, 3rd ed. Wadsworth/Thompson, Belmont, CA.
Factors that Impact
Food Insecurity
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Economic resources
Access to food
Food-related behaviors
Food intake
Nutrient Utilization
Nutrition status
Health effects
Source: Wehler and Anderson, Journal of Nutrition Educations 24 (1992): 325
Impact of Hunger
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Research shows that hungry children:
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Have more health problems
Exhibit disruptive behavior
Are more likely to be tardy or absent from school
Score lower on achievement tests
Fall asleep during class
Do not reach their full potential
Source: “The Consequences of Hunger and Food Insecurity for Children: Evidence from Recent
Scientific Studies. Center on Hunger and Poverty, June 2002
Food Security in the US
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2004
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11.9% of American households were food
insecure at least sometime during the year
3.5% reported they were food insecure with
hunger
Most avoided hunger by relying upon a few basic
foods, reducing variety in diets or using
emergency food from a food pantry.
Food Assistance Programs
*Food Stamp Program
*Child Nutrition Programs
National School Lunch
School Breakfast Programs
Summer Nutrition Program
*Child and Adult Care Food Program
*WIC
Food Assistance Programs (cont)
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TANF
TEFAP (Commodity Food Programs)
Soup kitchens
Food Pantries
Who is more likely to be food
insecure?
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Lower levels of food and financial skills held
by the mother
Higher levels of depressive symptoms in the
mother
Difficulty paying for medical care
Less than high school education
Not owning a home
Food Insecurity and the Elderly
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6.3% (2002) w/1.9% food insecure with hunger
Causes
-not having enough money for food
-poor health
-limited mobility
-limited transportation
-lack of social support
-functional impairments
Food Security and the Elderly
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Elderly in inner-city twice as likely to be food
insecure than those in urban areas
Unmarried elderly men most insecure
Married couples most secure
Rely upon private charities rather than FSP
Food Security and
Rural Populations
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Food insecurity is more prevalent in nonmetropolitan households
Less likely to participate in the Food Stamp
Program
Lowest Income Consume Less
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Fruits and vegetables
Grains
Potassium
Fiber
Folate
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Dairy—especially milk
Women—low on iron
Less likely to meet
Vitamin C requirement
Other implications for Food Stamp
Participants or Lowest Income
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More likely to skip breakfast
More likely to consume more soft drinks
Consumed more meat than other groups
Women more likely to be overweight or
obese
Implications for
Lowest Income Elderly
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More skipped breakfasts
Low vitamin C intake
Low calcium intake
Very low fiber intake
Higher sodium concentration in diet
More soft drinks consumed
Elderly (continued)
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More likely to have reduced or severely
reduced bone density
Females—less obese than higher incomes
Males—more likely to be underweight
Males—eat more meat and dairy
Life skills that can help prevent food
insecurity
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Ability to manage bills
Ability to make a budget
Ability to stretch groceries to the end of the
month
Ability to prepare a well-balanced meal
Shopping Strategies to Reduce Food
Insecurity
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Only a few studies found…why?
Many factors – besides shopping – can affect
whether or not persons achieve food security;
for example:
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Individual’s health
Individual’s education
Local conditions
Different cultural values
Different food practices
Shopping Strategies to Reduce Food
Insecurity – Some Data Available
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USDA Economic Research Service study
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Economize by purchasing larger proportion of
discounted or on sale products
Purchasing large packages/volume discounts
Purchasing generic or store brands
Purchasing less expensive food products within
product class
“Exploring Food Purchase Behaviors of
Low Income Households How Do They
Economize” concluded low-income
households use these techniques:
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Purchasing store label and generic items
Purchasing larger package sizes
Purchasing lower quality items
Other findings include using discount food
stores and buying and consuming less food.
Source: USDA Current Issues in Economics of Food Markets, Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 747-07 , 2003
Interviews of EFNEP & FSNEP
Educators in New Jersey
Identified four categories of food acquisition
practices of program participants:
1. Rely on resources in community
2. Interact with informal support systems
3. Supplement financial resources
4. Lower food costs by using shopping
strategies
Source: Family Economics and Nutrition Review 14 (2) 44-55. 2002
Study on Factors Protecting Against and
Contributing to Food Insecurity Among Rural
Families
This study found that life skills related to food
security were:
 Ability to manage bills
 Ability to make a budget
 Ability to stretch groceries to the end of the
month
 Ability to prepare a well-balanced meal
Need to teach these skills.
Source: Family Economics and Nutrition Review, Vol. 16 No. 1. 2004
Implications for Educators
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Encourage families in FNP and EFNEP
programs to seek food assistance programs
Encourage participation in FNP/EFNEP
Teach food and financial skills
Encourage participation to complete high school
education
Teach nutritional information which addresses
areas of nutritional need for low-income see
“Chart Based on Research”
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