What does “food insecurity mean”?

The United States Department of Agriculture, the umbrella under which many food and nutrition programs fall, defines food security or insecurity in ranges. Those labels are:

› High food security: no reported indications of food-access problems or limitations

› Marginal food security: one or two reports of anxiety over food sufficiency or shortage of food in the house; little or no indication of changes in diets or food intake.

› Low food security: reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet; little or no indication of reduced food intake

› Very low food security: reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake