When I first launched this blog, I posted an article titled “How Can Diet and Nutrition Strengthen My Family’s Immune Health?”  Because yes, diet and nutrition are important for healthy bodies and adequate immune systems.  And yes, some people can focus on balancing their families’ menu and choose fresh greens over 7 Eleven snack cakes.  But what I profoundly failed to mention is that not everyone in this country has the option to just “make healthy choices.”  It just simply isn’t a choice for everyone.  Because not everyone in this country has been given equal opportunity to quality education, earn a livable wage, live in acceptable circumstances, receive affordable, trustworthy health care, and have access to fresh, quality food.     

The truth is that eating well in this country is a privilege.  Having opportunities for safe physical activity is a privilege. And being an overall healthy person is a privilege.¹  More specifically, white privilege.  Healthy food and lifestyle shouldn’t be a privilege for anyone- it’s a basic human right.  

Now, I’m not saying white people don’t experience food insecurity in the U.S.  Of course, they do (and no one should). But they experience it at lower rates than people of color and we can’t talk about food insecurity and our food system without talking about racism. 

Through the BLM movement, the curtain has been pulled back, and white people are finally waking up to what’s really going on in this country (and what they’ve been privileged to ignore for so long).  For anyone who was living in a bubble until recently, I was there, too. I’m not proud to admit that, but it’s true.  I’m not an expert on racism in America, but I’m trying to learn and grow in my personal life, as well as my professional life.  It also doesn’t take an expert to acknowledge systemic racism and make a promise to be anti-racist.    

When thinking about how I can help in the fight to end racism, I took advice from Melissa DePino and Michelle Saahene, the creators of From Privilege to Progress, who recommend looking into your own area of work and helping with issues there.  So for me, that’s food and nutrition and one major issue being food insecurity, which is the inability to consistently obtain enough food for every person in the household to live a healthy, active lifestyle. Without enough food, adults and children go hungry. 

I took a class on food insecurity during undergrad at Penn State.  As a part of the class, we took a trip to Philadelphia and explored community gardens, organizations that grow and distribute fresh food to those in need, and school gardens (where students have an active role in growing and harvesting fresh food – those kids are amazing btw).  Through this experience, I got to see first hand how Philadelphians are taking action to feed themselves and others.  Did we talk bluntly about racism in that class? Not that I can remember.     

Here I am, about 10 years later, living outside of Philadelphia, and I hadn’t researched the issue any further since that class…until right now while I’m writing this post.  And honestly, while writing this post, I feel overwhelmed, underqualified to talk about this issue, and scared about what people will think.  I haven’t experienced food insecurity personally, and I’m a white person who has benefited from the system, so there’s that. But I think that’s all the more reason to write this post.  If we are all feeling overwhelmed, undereducated on important issues, and scared about how people will view us for speaking about them, then we aren’t going to get anywhere on the critical problem of racism in America.  Also, black people are tired of trying to educate white people.  

So, I dug into this extremely important issue and want to share what I learned with you. Throughout the rest of the article, my goal is to explain what food insecurity is, how it disproportionately affects POC, how it relates to racism, and what we can do to help.  I link to articles and organizations where you can learn more, as well. 

Firstly, What is Food Insecurity?

Like I mentioned above, food insecurity is the inability to consistently obtain enough food for every person in the household to live a healthy, active lifestyle.  Hunger can be the result of food insecurity.  Some reasons for food insecurity include poverty, unemployment/under-employment, and inconsistent access to enough nutritious food.  It’s often a combination of issues that people face and the causes of these situations go much deeper.  

In terms of not having access to quality, nutritious food, this means that some neighborhoods don’t have full grocery stores, and if they do, they probably don’t look like yours. If transportation is an issue (like not having a car), these folks may only have the convenience store or McDonalds around the corner.  

These areas that have limited access to affordable, quality food are generally known as “food deserts.”  But Karen Washington, an activist and community organizer who has been fighting for food justice for three decades, says “food apartheid” paints a better picture of what’s really going on. In this article by The Guardian, Washington says “food apartheid” looks at the whole food system, along with race, geography, faith, and economics. You say “food apartheid” and you get to the root cause of some of the problems around the food system. It brings in hunger and poverty. It brings us to the more important question: What are some of the social inequalities that you see, and what are you doing to erase some of the injustices?”  

So food apartheid explains that the lack of availability of healthy foods disproportionately affects communities of color due to systemic racism. 

How Many People Are Affected by Food Insecurity?

An estimated (and gasping) 11.1% of U.S. households were food insecure at least some time during 2018. That is 37 million people (including over 11 million children) who experienced food insecurity. The rate has improved from previous years. However, Feeding America predicts the prevalence has increased this year given the current COVID-19 pandemic which is causing loss of jobs and, therefore, more poverty and food insecurity.  They estimate that more than 54.3 million people, including 18 million children (1 in 4), may experience food insecurity in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What are the Adverse Health Effects of Food Insecurity?

Dr. Odoms-Young outlines the adverse health effects in her well- written article “Examining the Impact of Structural Racism on Food Insecurity: Implications for Addressing Racial/Ethnic Disparities,” which include “higher rates of diabetes and hypertension, self-reported fair or poor health, maternal depression, behavioral problems/developmental delays in early life, and poor academic achievement.” 

Can you even imagine the stress alone of not knowing where your family’s next meal is coming from? Or having to go hungry so that your child doesn’t? Or having to decide whether to buy medicine or food because you can’t afford both?  Can you imagine the stress and trauma this causes for the child?  I cannot. But this is happening. Right now. In America!  And the rates are higher for certain people than others. 

Food Insecurity Disproportionately affects Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic Households Compared to White Households

This gap has persisted since the USDA began tracking it annually in 1995. These are the most recent statistics from 2018: 

• 21.2% of Black households and 16.2% of Latinx reported food insecurity.  This is 2X higher for Black families and 1.5X higher for Hispanic families than the national average (11.1%). 

• The prevalence of food insecurity among white households was 8.1%, which is less than the national average (11.1%).

• So this means that the rates in 2018 were 2X higher for Latinx homes and more than 2.5X higher for Black homes compared to white households.  

Food insecurity rates in 2018 were highest among households below the poverty line (35.3%) and single-mother households (27.8%), followed by black households (21.2%) and Hispanic households (16.2%).  Click here to see more stats from the USDA or here for the full report.  But like I said before, these rates are definitely worse due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Why is there a Gap in Rates of Food Insecurity Between Minorities and Whites?

In one word…racism. 

But how is racism related to food insecurity?  Sherita Mouzon explains in this article by the Inquirer that “being mistreated at school, on the job, in health care and beyond, translates to lower wages and exclusion from society.  When employers discriminate, people of color make lower wages than white people.  When health-care providers discriminate, people cannot get the health care they need, and when the courts and the police are biased, they are more likely to put our family members behind bars, which damages their prospects for economic security.”  Mouzon is a community engagement specialist for the Witnesses to Hunger Program at Drexel University’s Center for Hunger-Free Communities.

From what I am learning, in order to get to the root of food insecurity and understand why there is this large gap between minority groups and white people, we have to look at all the ways that racism plays a role, including interpersonal and systemic racism. 

Children’s HealthWatch did a study in Philadelphia (where I live) at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children (where I practiced as a dietetic intern) looking at the association of lifetime experiences of racial and ethnic discrimination and food insecurity.  In this study, they asked caregivers of children under age four how many times they experienced discrimination at a variety of places, including at school, work, while getting a job, etc. And what they found is that experiences of discrimination are strongly associated with household and child food insecurity.  People who experienced discrimination were almost twice as likely to experience food insecurity than others.  They also found that the more experiences of discrimination a person has is related to higher levels of household and child food insecurity.  The experiences of discrimination in school, hiring, at work, in public settings, and with law enforcement show a statistically significant association with food insecurity. Using these data, they released a report called “From Disparities to Discrimination: Getting at the Roots of Food Insecurity in America” that analyzes this link between lifetime experiences of discrimination and food insecurity among families with young children.  It’s worth the read to get a full understanding, but briefly, it explains how discrimination and racism, both interpersonally and systemically, create disparities in food insecurity.  This includes inequalities in wages and wealth, housing, the education system, and mass incarceration.  The report also outlines doctor-approved policy recommendations so that we can start taking action in dismantling racism and reducing food insecurity.  We all have a role to play so that all families can live healthy lives with dignity. 

What Can We Do To Fight for Food Justice? 

• Donating and providing hungry people with food is certainly necessary in the immediate moment, but it’s kind of like a Band-Aid.  It’s not the solution to fix the systemic problem and end hunger in America.  That being said, people cannot wait for us to end racism to eat, so Feeding America and No Kid Hungry are great places to donate if you can. Especially now that COVID-19 is creating more poverty and more hunger.  Along with these organizations, let’s support groups who are trying to get to the root of the problem and lift up the BIPOC communities like  Black Urban Growers and Soul Fire Farm. 

• As I mentioned above, the article “From Disparities to Discrimination: Getting at the Roots of Food Insecurity in America” outlines specific solutions to eliminating racism in a variety of settings and institutions.  Take a look and see if you can tackle one thing on that list.  Also, this article “4 Not-So-Easy Ways to Dismantle Racism in the Food System” brilliantly explains four different aspects of the problem and two solutions for each issue.

• Keep learning.  There are many ways to learn more- reading, watching, and listening. I’m still doing a lot of this.  If we open our ears and hearts to those who deal with racism and food insecurity, we will find ways to help.  Social media and the internet has made this possible. 

• VOTE! Vote for people who understand the gravity of this issue and who will work to make change to abolish systemic racism.

• Support BIPOC businesses. This elevates communities of color in many ways.    

What will I do personally? I will continue my research on racism and food insecurity, brainstorm solutions, listen and learn from those who have experienced racism and discrimination first hand, call out racism and discrimination when I see it, vote, acknowledge my own white privilege and figure out how to dismantle it, teach my daughter about equality and how to be anti-racist, seek out continuing education classes on racial equality and cultural sensitivity in patient care, and donate to organizations who are making change.  There is also work to be done in the dietetics profession as only 3% of dietitians are black and 80% are white.  There needs to be diversity in the wellness space. So lots to do, and I am committed to continue learning and do my part.   

In addition, I will soon be offering a one-hour virtual presentation on Picky Eating in Toddlerhood where you can learn valuable tips and tricks to give you confidence in raising competent eaters.  The date of this event is TBD and completely FREE.  I will only ask if you can, to donate to Soul Fire Farm, who is truly making a difference in the fight for food justice. 

Per their website, “Soul Fire Farm is an Afro-Indigenous centered training farm committed to ending racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system. Our food sovereignty programs reach over 10,000 people each year, including farmer training for Black and Brown growers, reparations and land return initiatives for northeast farmers, food justice workshops for urban youth, home gardens for city-dwellers living under food apartheid, doorstep harvest delivery for food insecure households, and systems and policy education for public decision-makers.” Check out this video to meet the founder, Leah Penniman, and see how they are “Fighting Racism and Inequality Through Farming.”   You can also follow her on instagram @leahpenniman. 

Click here to donate to Soul Fire Farm’s gofundme page to help them continue their life-changing work. 

For further details and reminders on the Picky Eating in Toddlerhood presentation, be sure to subscribe to K2N Newsbites at the bottom of this page and follow me on social media (Facebook and Instagram).

If you have more ideas and resources to share with me on this issue, I would love to connect! Comment below or send me an email.

1. The list of health disparities between people of color and white people is long. Due to countless systemic inequalities they’ve faced in areas such as healthcare and living conditions, black people have higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease than any other group. Asthma is also more prevalent among black people, and black children have a 500 percent higher death rate from asthma than white children. Black people also experience higher incidence and mortality rates of different types of cancer that are resolvable with early detection and treatment. They are also much less likely to survive prostate, breast, and lung cancer than white people.  

CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report- United States, 2013 

Fact Sheet: Health Disparities by Race and Ethnicity