“Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy. It’s not about nutrients and calories. It’s about sharing. It’s about honesty. It’s about identity.” Louise Fresco
As a registered dietitian, I’ve always been concerned about food insecurity. I’ll always champion preparing meals for shelters, the homeless, and the elderly, and I’ll always support SNAP, subsidized lunches, improved nutrition standards for schools, and Meals on Wheels. However, in my role working primarily with hospitalized patients, I haven’t spent much time considering what it actually means to be food insecure. If I had concerns about a patient’s access to food, I’d recommend a referral to social work and outpatient nutrition follow up.
Since stepping into my role as an elder with Studio 3, I’ve become more familiar with the 4th Sunday and community work that Union does—much of it revolving around the provision of food: burrito rolling, brunches at SCCA, and meal deliveries to Compass House and LUV. I’ve been forwarding links to articles about and information on Food Insecurity to our Truth & Justice team, and I think it’s created the impression that I’m more knowledgeable than I really am. While the graduate program in Nutrition Sciences at UW now offers a thriving Masters in Public Health option, this was not the case back when I got my Master’s degree!
When Nichelle asked me to write about food insecurity for the Truth & Justice newsletter, it was just the motivation I needed to do some research.
One of the first things I discovered is that there are definitions for Food Security and Food Insecurity:
“Food Security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”
“Food Insecurity is defined as the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources."
This was a good find…but it still didn’t give me a real tangible sense of what it means to be food insecure so I did more digging. Here’s a summary of what I found:
Who is most likely to be food insecure? Black, non-Hispanic households (21.2%) and Hispanic households (16.2%) and single-parent households (27.8% headed by women; 15.9% headed by men)
How many people are food insecure? 1 in 9 people and 1 in 7 children in the state of Washington
What is this based on? The average cost of a meal in Washington is $3.22 or $9.66 for 3 meals/day—11-14% of people in our state are unable to spend $10.00 a day on food.
What does SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) provide? $1.32 per person per meal or $119 per household member
Who uses SNAP? More than 56% of SNAP users included families with children; 39% included an elderly or disabled family member; and more than 37% come from working households.
What about the schools? 35-40% of students in the Seattle school system qualify for free meals. This is income-based—a family of 2 with an annual household income of no more than $23,606 qualifies; a family of 8 with an income of no greater than $81,622 qualifies.
Who is most likely to use the lunch program? Children who are African American (82-84%), Hispanic (60-65%), Native American (60-70%), or Pacific Islander (75-80%).
What are the paradoxes of Food Insecurity?
People who are food insecure are 32% more likely to be obese. A reflection of the quality of food available when you have less than $10/day to spend.
Adults in food insecure households are 15 percentage points more likely to suffer from a chronic illness, and it is likely they will not have healthcare benefits to see a Registered Dietitian.(Medicaid and Medicare offer minimal coverage for nutrition care)
It’s estimated that we waste 30-40% of our food supply in this country. Our schools waste about 36.5 pounds of food per student per year.
Food Service Workers and restaurant workers are among the most likely to experience food insecurity. One in 6 restaurant workers lives in poverty—This is double the number of any other profession.
As my husband, Mike, and I left work today, we discussed our dinner plans. After some deliberation, we decided to go with takeout, opting for Bongos, a highly recommended restaurant we had yet to try. Now usually I’m all for the idea of takeout and trying new places. It’s a relief to not have to worry about making dinner. Tonight, however, I felt a twinge of discomfort. I had spent the day researching food insecurity. I recognized the privilege we had to be able to make this choice.
As we neared the restaurant, I asked Mike how much our meals would cost. With great pleasure, he told me, “$36…By far the least we’ve spent on a take-out meal in a long time!” Thirty-six dollars. That’’s $18.00 per person for one meal. That’s more than twice the amount some people have to spend on 3 meals for one day…and we were excited to be getting a deal. The discomfort started to swell…I tried to rationalize spending this much (though much less than our usual) on dinner, and then I realized I was stuck.
By making a conscious effort to order take-out meals several days a week, we have been trying to do our part to support the industry, the food service and restaurant workers who are already at risk for food insecurity; to support the creativity of our local chefs and restaurateurs and to help them sustain the communities they’ve built based on the celebration and sharing of food. Not ordering take out was not the answer. It wasn’t going to help anybody.
While I now have a better understanding of what food insecurity is, I’m not sure I have any answers. Food insecurity is complicated. It’s systemic. It mirrors all of the inequities in our culture, and it clearly does not reflect the vision of creation that our God, whose intention is to ensure our every need is met, had in mind. But while it’s overwhelming, becoming overwhelmed is not the answer. Actions that seem like they have a small impact on a global scale, can still have a huge impact on the local and individual level. Over the past few months, I’ve learned about many exciting programs in our city, and I feel fortunate to say, through our church, that we are helping to bring healthy food to people in need. It is through these efforts that we’ll be able to make a difference.
Reflection by Alysun Deckert, Registered Dietitian at the University of Washington Medical Center & Elder at Union Church.
For additional resources for learning, advocating, and taking action around nutritional health, read below.
LEARN
ADVOCATE
Contact your representative and show support for the Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2020 which would expand Medicare Part B coverage for outpatient medical nutrition therapy services for people with diabetes and renal disease. These diseases place an individual at higher risk for COVID-19 and also disproportionately impact people of color. Attached to this email is an information sheet about the Medical Nutrition Therapy Act of 2020, and a copy of a letter you can modify to send to your representative. More info here.
ACT
Join the dedicated volunteers and make lunches for SYM & ICS, roll hundreds of burritos on Saturdays, and deliver meals to Compass House. Contact Adrienne or Renee for safe distance service opportunities.
Donate! Make a contribution to your local food bank as their shelves are decimated by the ongoing needs related to the pandemic.
Do you or someone you know need nutritional support? This map is updated weekly to show Emergency Food Resources in Seattle.
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