|
 A new University of Illinois study uses data collected from
people who visit food pantries to show that these financial
coping strategies can help identify people who are very food
insecure or at risk for becoming food insecure.
“It’s not just about income,” says U of I economist Craig
Gundersen, who coauthored the study. “In order to determine
whether or not people are food insecure, we’ve been asking if
they are uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food
because they had insufficient money or other resources. Now
we’re seeing that it’s more complicated than that.”
The study looks at answers to a survey from a random sample of
particularly vulnerable people—people visiting food
pantries—through the Hunger in America 2014 survey data set.
Gundersen says this population is often overlooked in studies
based on nationally representative surveys. One reason is that
some people who visit food pantries may be marginally housed or
homeless, so other surveys would have missed them.
“Families who can’t pay their bills,” Gundersen says, “may
resort to any number of coping strategies, such as getting help
from family and friends, pawning personal property, purchasing
the cheapest foods possible, using expired foods, and diluting
foods.
“Whenever we looked at the number of coping strategies that were
being used, we saw that they were also more likely to be food
insecure. If mothers are watering down their infant’s formula,
that’s a clear sign that they’re likely to be food insecure,” he
says.
Gundersen says you may not be able to ask someone about their
food insecurity status, but you can ask them if they are
juggling bills. “Are you having to dilute your baby’s formula?
Have you pawned any of your family’s jewelry this month in order
to pay a bill? You can ask questions like that. These point to
determinants of food insecurity rather than outright questions
about something like worrying about your next meal,” he says.
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One way people who are food insecure can get help is
through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP,
formerly known as the Food Stamp Program). Gundersen is a strong
supporter of the program, saying that study after study has
demonstrated its profound impact on reducing food insecurity.
“SNAP dollars free up money to pay other bills, such as medical or
utility bills,” Gundersen says. “Many of these families just need a
little bit of help financially to be able to keep up with their
bills.”
He says a high proportion of people going to food pantries are also
SNAP recipients.
“SNAP is fantastic, but for a lot of households, it’s just not
enough to get them through the entire month. Food pantries help fill
that gap. Another group of people going to food pantries is those
who are not eligible for SNAP. Their incomes are just a little too
high, so the only places they can turn to are food pantries.”
Gundersen says people who get food from food pantries are one of the
highest populations at risk in the United States. “The food
insecurity rates we find are 80 percent which are substantially
higher than for the U.S. as a whole, which is about 15 percent.
We’re looking at those people who are most in danger of food
insecurity. And inability to pay bills is a key determinant.”
The report, “The determinants of food insecurity among food bank
clients in the United States,” is published in the Journal of
Consumer Affairs. It is coauthored by Craig Gundersen, Emily
Engelhard, and Monica Hake.
Gundersen is the Soybean Industry Endowed Professor in Agricultural
Strategy and professor in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and
Environmental Sciences Department of Agricultural and Consumer
Economics at the University of Illinois and a member of the Division
of Nutritional Sciences at U of I.
[Debra Levey Larson
University of Illinois
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences] |
