Have you ever found yourself struggling to find a meal or food to eat? Many people across the country struggle form this almost every day and it is more common than you might think. It's called food insecurity, and over 38 million Americans suffer from food insecurity each year.

What is food insecurity?

Food insecurity is described by Feeding America as a lack of consistent access to enough food for a person to live an active, healthy life. Food insecurity can affect more than one being. Often times it affects whole families and even small communities. Food insecurity can be temporary but can also last for a long time and is one of the ways that researches measure data on how many people can't afford food.

What are the causes of food insecurity?

Although the true cause of food insecurity is unknown, there are however a few consistent factors amongst most food insecure people. Researcher Tara O'Neill Hayes found that some of the leading factors of food insecurity are:

1.     Low income: it was found in 2016 that low-income households were 2.6 times more likely than the average American household to be food insecure. Furthermore, contributing to low income is employment. Being unemployed and being employed but in a low-wage job is also a strong factor in whether a household is food insecure.

2.     Location: Where a person lives is a key contributor to whether they are food insecure or not. There are many neighborhoods throughout the United States that lack grocery stores or other marketplaces from which they can buy fresh food and produce. Because of this individuals in these neighborhoods are often left with only access to fast food restaurants and convenience stores. These areas are often referred to as “food desserts” or “food swamps.” Although these individuals are getting access to food you must remember that food security is not about whether or not a person has “enough” to eat, but also whether the food is of good quality and varies their dietary needs. Again, income can come into play in this scenario of whether someone lives in such an area, as does race. One study found that wealthy and affluent neighborhoods had three times the number of grocery stores than poor neighborhoods. Also, the majority of White neighborhoods had four times the number of grocery stores than the majority of Black neighborhoods. This dynamic of location combined with income creates an unfair gap between those who get easy access to food and those who don't.

3.     Disability: Although this may be surprising, disability has also been a linked cause to food insecurity. There are many layers of why one's disability could cause them to be food insecure. The main factors in this are: A disability that limits one’s ability to work will in turn lead to low income. Also, disabilities that cause cognitive limitations may impair one’s ability to remember to budget appropriately for necessary food consumption, remembering how to cook or what they should eat, and even in some cases remembering to eat in general. Physical limitations also may make it harder for an individual to cook or prepare a meal or to shop for groceries.

4.     Homelessness: This factor may not be as surprising as the last, but homelessness is highly referenced when discussing the topic of food insecurity. But what is surprising related to this fact is food insecurity related to those who own their home versus those that rent. Homeowners without a mortgage were found to be the least food insecure (4.3 percent), followed by homeowners with a mortgage (11.6 percent) and renters (28.5 percent). This is a fact that most people may not be privy to, but it breaks down the dynamic of homeownership status and its relationship to the risk of food insecurity.

5.     Vehicle Ownership: Lastly, vehicle ownership plays a role in food insecurity. Those that own a car or motor vehicle decrease their likelihood of being food insecure. Owning a vehicle makes it easier for an individual to shop for groceries. The lack of access to a motor vehicle makes it challenging for a person to easily shop for food. When individuals do not have access to their own car, they typically must either walk to the grocery store or take public transportation. This then makes them limited to purchasing only what they can carry or easily transport on the bus or subway.

How does this affect me as a college student?

As a college student myself, I understand how hard it is to access the food that you may want and need to eat on a daily basis. Although not at an extreme level, this lack of sufficient and nutritious foods could classify you as someone that is food insecure. Many college students often talk about the struggles of finding food that they enjoy eating or food that is healthy while they attend college. This struggle is one that I myself sometimes face while attending school at North Central College and something that I know that other students abroad face as well. As a college student you may have a very jam-packed schedule with classes, labs, meetings, extracurricular activities etc. This schedule may restrict you from being able to access your schools on campus dining. Furthermore, most college students (especially those that live on campus) don’t have a car, so getting in the car and outsourcing food and groceries may also be out of the question. Also, for many students going to college may be a financial sacrifice for themselves or their family. This predicament often leaves students that fall under this umbrella with inadequate meal plans, or simply just not enough to go purchase a meal from a local fast-food chain or restaurant on a consistent basis. So, what can you do to combat this, you might ask? I have the perfect steps and solutions for you.