Join this Council on Food, Agricultural & Resource Economics webinar to hear from distinguished panelists about how public policy can help tackle food and nutrition insecurity in the U.S.
Register for free event:
Join us for The Prevalence of Food Insecurity Across the U.S. on October 28 at 12 p.m. (ET).
Food insecurity implies difficulty getting enough food at some time during the year. The causes are multifactorial and often include poverty, unemployment, low income, lack of affordable housing, chronic health conditions or lack of access to healthcare, and systemic racism and racial discrimination. Before and during the pandemic, food insecurity in the US has been disproportionately higher among low-income and rural populations and communities of Color. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic ramifications, in 2021, food insecurity initially jumped to the highest level in decades, affecting over 20% of Americans — approximately 1 in 4 households. According to a 2021 USDA Economic Research Service report, 10.2 percent or 13.5 million American households are food insecure. In addition, more than half (about 56 percent) of food-insecure households reported that in the previous month, they participated in one or more of the three most extensive Federal nutrition assistance programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); or the National School Lunch Program.
Join this webinar to hear from distinguished panelists about how public policy can help tackle food and nutrition insecurity in the U.S.
This panel will feature moderation by Gal Hochman, C-FARE’s Board member and professor at the Rutgers University.
Norbert Wilson is a Professor of Food, Economics, and Community at the Duke Divinity School and the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. He is the President of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA). Norbert’s research touches on several food issues, such as access, choice, and food waste.
Dr. Sara Bleich is the Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity in the Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), after serving as the Senior Advisor for COVID-19 in the Office of the Secretary at USDA (2021). She is a policy expert and researcher who specializes in diet-related diseases, food insecurity and racial inequality with more than 175 peer-reviewed publications.