Copy of Change Your World Week for grading

Food security refers to the access of food in a country and the ability of those who are within said country to afford, access, and source adequate produce.

Causes of Food Insecurity: Poverty, unemployment and low wages. The organization Feeding America helps those who are experiencing food insecurity find food and resources needed by increasing access to food in communities that are in need. Since 2022, three meals a day on the table was difficult for millions, so says the US Department of Agriculture. LSU Health, New Orleans School of Public Health says, "The report found that 44.2 million people lived in households that had difficulty getting enough food to feed everyone in 2022, up from 33.8 million people the year prior. Those families include more than 13 million children experiencing food insecurity, a jump of nearly 45 percent from 2021."

Low food security refers to food insecurity mainly defined by a depletion in the quality and variety of the food. Very low food security refers to extreme food insecurity, which entails skipping meals or not eating enough due to one's household being low in finances.

"Food is wasted at various stages of production. Regardless of how products are wasted, be it through spoilage during transportation, being discarded for aesthetic blemishes, or being binned after passing sell-by dates, an astronomical amount of food in the U.S. goes to waste. 

One solution is to improve transparency and clarity for food safety by instituting consistent labeling conventions. The discrepancies between best-by dates, use-by dates, and sell-by dates often cause confusion for customers and lead to food being discarded before it needs to be," according to Poverty USA.

It has also been said that other ways to help with food insecurity are delivering food (specifically to seniors), picking up food from local farms or stores, and donating non-perishable goods. Calling the local farm or store about food rescue programs has also been cited as helpful. "Traditional sources of donations to food banks are changing. Most of our local partners used to rely on retailers and restaurants donating extra items. But as restaurants closed and retailers struggled to stock their shelves donations from those sources decreased. With this turn of events, food banks are increasingly relying on food rescue programs. Volunteers can help from home by contacting possible suppliers, such as local farms that used to sell items to restaurants as well as stores and restaurants that might have non-perishable items to see if they are willing to donate food," according to United Way of Central Florida. And lastly, reducing overall food waste. Donating food and eating leftovers both have been said to be helpful regarding limiting food waste, and concerning food insecurity.