Food insecurity is a long and complex issue that has impacted many citizens within New Mexico. According to the national nonprofit organization, Feeding America, 1 in 7 New Mexicans, or approximately 285,220 people within the state, go hungry. That number increases to 1 in 5 when only children are considered.
There is a difference between hunger and food insecurity. Hunger is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food coupled with the desire to eat.” On the other hand, food insecurity refers to “the condition of not having access to sufficient food, or food of an adequate quality, to meet one's basic needs.” In other words, hunger is a symptom whereas food insecurity is the cause.
In 2006, the USDA introduced language to describe the severity of food insecurity. These are categorized into two groups: Food security and food insecurity, each containing two terms to describe different levels. The list goes as follows from the USDA website:
Food Security:
High food security (Food security): no reported indications of food-access problems or limitations.
Marginal food security (Food security): one or two reported indications—typically of anxiety over food sufficiency or shortage of food in the house. Little or no indication of changes in diets or food intake.
Food Insecurity:
Low food security (Food insecurity without hunger): reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake.
Very low food security (Food insecurity with hunger): reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake.
The true causes and effects of food insecurity have long been discussed and, as a result, many steps have been taken in trying to reduce how many people are impacted.
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