food insecurity

noun

plural food insecurities

: the fact or an instance of being unable to consistently access or afford adequate food

The USDA defines food insecurity as a household's inability to provide enough food for each person to live an active, healthy lifestyle. Food insecurity can also occur when there is an abundance of processed, pre-packaged, calorie-dense foods, because these foods do not contain adequate nutrition.

—The Northeast Mississippi (Tupelo) Daily Journal

The federal government often allocates funds to help citizens facing food insecurity and other socio-economic hardships …

—Yssis Cano-Santiago

This past year has laid bare concerns about food insecurities in this country. The pandemic has led to shortages in the grocery store on essential items like toilet paper and meat.

—Amanda Radke

Examples of food insecurity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After the Chargers used Bozeman’s viral moment of vigilante justice to share information about the Bradley and Nikki Bozeman Foundation on social media, more than 150 fans donated to the charity’s efforts to address food insecurity and combat bullying. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

The bills will significantly limit its ability to continue that work at a time when than 1.8 million people across Gaza are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, according to the agency. —Barak Ravid, Axios, 28 Oct. 2024

His contribution helped local organizations provide meals to senior citizens affected by food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. —Giana Levy, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024

After over a year of civil war, almost 18 million people in Sudan are facing acute food insecurity and agricultural production has been restricted due to the conflict. —Daniela De Lorenzo, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above