The basics of food security and how it’s tied to everything

FOOD impacts all parts of our daily life. It isn’t only about feeling full and satisfied, it’s also about feeling connected to the community and belonging.

Across cultures, food is a way to bring togetherness to the table and celebrate our shared humanity. On Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, food, water, shelter and rest are foundations for a healthy human.

Without these fundamental pieces in place, it’s difficult to advance to thinking about safety, community, our future or our potential. Food security is at the baseline of human need. Without it, we cannot thrive, let alone survive.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation’s food security definition is when “all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”.

In other words, food security is having consistent, reliable access to safe, nutritious food. Food security is determined by four components, which are availability, access, utilisation and stability.

When any one of these components are stressed or unmet, it’s considered food insecurity.

“Zero hunger” remains one of the most rigorous of the Sustainable Development Goals that the United Nations wants to reach by 2030.

One might be wondering, “Can’t we just produce more food?” But issues around food security are complex to say the least.

Technically, we are producing enough food to feed the world’s entire population, yet millions are undernourished.

Food security is strongly influenced by intricate social, cultural, political, economic and environmental factors. Food security can be disrupted by many things such as climate change, disempowerment, poverty, natural disasters and conflict.

The average person is still under the aberrant delusion that food should be somebody else’s responsibility until I’m ready to eat it.

Access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food is a basic need and should be treated as a human right, with priority given to the most vulnerable.

Apart from basic nutrition, food security is linked to economic stability, long-term health, women empowerment and the environment.

Food security impacts our health — especially children’s.

Research reveals that food insecurity can result in ongoing short and long-term health problems. The first 1 000 days (from conception to age two) of a child’s life are of critical importance for their healthy growth and development.

For children, severe food insecurity has been linked to chronic health conditions like asthma and depression. A diet lacking in proper substance — enough calories, protein, vitamins and minerals — will impede a child’s growth and development from before they are born up until adolescence.

A pregnant mother’s malnutrition can lead to a higher risk of low birthweight, infant mortality, preterm delivery and slow cognitive development for her baby. The stress alone of living without secure access to food can have a negative effect on the health of pregnant mothers. This impacts their infants by affecting milk supply while breastfeeding.