Food Insecurity

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food insecure families often resort to cheap, low nutrient-dense food, resulting in a child’s increased risk for obesity or for nutrient deficiencies. Data shows that food-insecure children consume fewer calories and healthy foods but more sugar and high cholesterol value foods than food-secure children. Lacking the necessary foods for healthy development, food-insecure children can experience increased hospitalizations, developmental risk, and behavior problems such as aggression, anxiety, depression, and attention deficit disorder.