Childhood Food Insecurity
in Duluth, MN
“A hungry world will never be a secure world, and it can never be a just world, especially for those too young to voice their pleas for food.” -Sally Raphel
What is food insecurity?
There are three levels of food security:
-
Food Security: All members of the household have access to enough food at all times in order to be healthy
-
Low Food Security: Some members of the household are unsure of having or being able to acquire enough food due to money issues or lack of availability
-
Very Low Food Security: Multiple people within the same household are going hungry during the year because the family cannot afford food to eat
“Food insecurity” encompasses the second and third levels of these food security definitions.
It is mainly up to individual states to take care of feeding children who don’t get the food at home that they need to grow up strong and healthy. While there are some federal and state level programs currently in place, one in five children nationwide are still going hungry on a regular basis.
Studies have shown that children who suffer from food insecurity are more likely to produce lower scores on tests such as mathematics and language achievement. Hungry children cannot learn as fast or as well as students who do not have to worry about food. This means that they have a higher chance of being held back, or not graduating at all. Fewer impoverished children means fewer high school dropouts, decreased crime, and more employed in good jobs.
Food insecurity does not discriminate. There are millions of children nationwide that are unsure of whether or not they will have food on the table on any given day. If they are able to eat, there is a great chance that the food will be unhealthy, because that is what is more readily available to them.
Make no mistake, these are not just numbers and statistics, but real life children experiencing real life hunger, and the negative effects that accompany it. Duluth is no exception to this epidemic and has not been able to escape these horrifying realities. Children in the Northland are going hungry regularly and is a problem in our community that needs immediate attention.
Food insecurity causes multiple setbacks for a child’s growth and learning. Cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and physical problems can easily occur in children who are not receiving the necessary amounts of food for growth and healthy living. According to the article The Economics of Food Insecurity in the United States, the following is a list of potential negative effects of malnutrition in children:
Anemia, lower nutrient intakes, greater cognitive problems, higher levels of aggression and anxiety, higher probabilities of being hospitalized, poorer general health, higher probabilities of dysthymia and other mental health issues, higher probabilities of asthma, higher probabilities of behavioral problems, more instances of oral health problems, higher risk of depression and suicidal thoughts
