Food Insecurity
Food insecurity is a lack of consistent access to enough nutritious food to live an active, healthy life. Nutrition programs can identify and address food insecurity among older adults in their local communities.
Briefs
- How Food Insecurity Affects Older Adults— Pre-pandemic report from the University of Michigan
Infographics
- Senior Hunger in the United States— Older adult hunger data from Feeding America
- Community Preventative Services Task Force (CPSTF) Recommendations — Key findings
and results of the review - Reducing Malnutrition Through Senior Meal Programs — Features the CPSTF recommendation for home-delivered and congregate meal services
Tools & Toolkits
- Eat Healthy on a Budget— Tip sheet from USDA
- Eat Right When Money's Tight— Tips from USDA to shop smarter with rising food costs
- Eating on a Budget — Tips for consumers to eat healthy on a budget
- Eating Well: Farmers' Market Recipes— Recipe book from the Ohio Department of Aging (available in multiple languages)
- Farmers' Market Tips and Tricks — Making the most of shopping at the farmer's market
- Federal Programs to Sustain Nutrition for At-Risk Individuals— ASPR.gov information
- Finding Food for Older Adults — Quick guide to food programs for older adults
- Food Banks and Food Pantries — Comparison of the two, along with tips for finding resources
- Grocery Budget Calculator— Tool from Iowa State University
- Healthier You with Community Gardens — Benefits of Community Gardens
- Healthy, Thrifty, Holiday Menus— Recipe ideas from USDA for holidays throughout the year
- How to Communicate with Older Adults about Food Insecurity and Hunger— Resource from Baylor University
- Kitchen Time Savers— Tip sheet from USDA
- Seasonal Produce Guide— SNAP-Ed guide to when various produce is in season
- Shop Smart— Tips from MyPlate on buying budget-friendly and healthy options from each food group
Presentations
- Mobility Management Connections Mapping Universal Mobility Options to Better Food Access— National Center for Mobility Management webinar that focuses on mapping tools to improve transportation access to healthy food options
- A Food Pantry and Much More (YouTube)— Lotus Food Pantry provides opportunity for older adults served by the East Baton Rouge Council on Aging
- Enhanced DETERMINE Checklist (YouTube)— Dane County Area Agency on Aging expands upon the DETERMINE Checklist to further address older adults at risk for malnutrition
- Placing the 'Value' in Evaluation: Practical Tips for Measuring Impact (YouTube)— Webinar discussing why evaluation is important, how it can be used to prioritize limited resources, and how to use malnutrition and food insecurity screening tools to do so
- Expanded Food Insecurity Screener & Food Insecurity Assessment Tools (YouTube) — Development and use of food insecurity screening tools
- ACL Food Insecurity Webinar Series
- Links Between Food Insecurity, Nutrition, and Mental health: Impacts on Healthy Aging and Community-based Resources and Services That Can Help— ICAA Webinar
- Combating Food Insecurity with Collaboration (YouTube) — Webinar from ACL
- Iowa Stops Hunger Video Library— Call to action to fight food insecurity in Iowa
- Food Insecurity and Malnutrition (YouTube)— Defines malnutrition and food insecurity; identifies root causes of and innovative approaches to combating malnutrition; and discusses the importance of partnerships
- Make Your Mark on Food Insecurity — Highlights two programs using innovative methods to fight food insecurity.
- Nutrition Security Webinars— Discussions about nutrition security during and beyond the pandemic from NIFA
Reports
- How Food Insecurity Affects Older Adults— University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation report
- Not Enough to Eat: COVID-19 Deepens America’s Hunger Crisis— Food Research & Action Center report
- Addressing Food Insecurity in the United States During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic— Journal of Food Law & Policy paper
- The State of Senior Hunger in America in 2021 — Annual report from Feeding America that examines food insecurity rates among Americans age 60 and older
- Improving Food and Nutrition Security During COVID-19, the Economic Recovery, and Beyond— Report from the Bipartisan Policy Center
- Hunger, Poverty, and Health Disparities During COVID-19 and the Federal Nutrition Programs’ Role in an Equitable Recovery— Report from FRAC
- The Health Consequences of Senior Hunger in the United States— Evidence from the 1999-2016 NHANES
- Household Food Security in the United States in 2019— Report from USDA
- Hunger in Older Adults— Report from MOWA on challenges and opportunities for the aging network
- Poverty, Hunger, Health, and the Federal Nutrition Programs— A profile of the Southern region from FRAC
- Role of the Federal Nutrition Safety Net— Article from the Journal of Food Law & Policy