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.
Infographics
- Senior Hunger in the United States— Data on older adult food insecurity and its impact on their health, nutrition, and food access (Feeding America, 2020)
- Community Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations — Key findings
and outcomes from the review (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
Tools & Toolkits
- Eat Healthy on a Budget— Tip on healthy eating and budget-friendly meals (USDA, 2022)
- Eat Right When Money's Tight— Tips to shop smarter with rising food costs (USDA, 2015)
- Eating on a Budget — Tips for consumers to eat healthy on a budget (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2022)
- Eating Well: Farmers' Market Recipes— Recipe book (Ohio Department of Aging)
- Farmers' Market Tips and Tricks — Making the most of shopping at the farmer's market (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2022)
- Finding Food for Older Adults — Quick guide to food programs for older adults (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2022)
- Food Banks and Food Pantries — Comparison of the two, along with tips for finding resources (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2022)
- Grocery Budget Calculator— Tool to calculate household grocery costs (Iowa State University)
- Healthier You With Community Gardens — Benefits of community gardens (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2024)
- Seasonal Produce Guide— SNAP-Ed guide to when various produce is in season (USDA)
- Shop Smart— Tips on buying budget-friendly and healthy food options (USDA)
Presentations
- Mobility Management Connections Mapping Universal Mobility Options to Better Food Access— Fifty-minute webinar that focuses on mapping tools to improve transportation access to healthy food options (National Center for Mobility Management, 2024)
- A Food Pantry and Much More (YouTube)— Four-minute Network Spotlight where Lotus Food Pantry provides opportunity for older adults served by the East Baton Rouge Council on Aging (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2022)
- Enhanced DETERMINE Checklist (YouTube)— Nine-minute Network Spotlight Dane County Area Agency on Aging expands upon the DETERMINE Checklist to further address older adults at risk for malnutrition (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2022)
- Expanded Food Insecurity Screener & Food Insecurity Assessment Tools (YouTube) — Fifty-two-minute webinar on the development and use of food insecurity screening tools (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2023)
- ACL Food Insecurity Webinar Series
- Combating Food Insecurity With Collaboration (YouTube)— One-hour video, with accompanying materials: Combating Food Insecurity Slides, and Combating Food Insecurity Takeaway Sheet (2022)
- SUA Promising Practices: Combating Food Insecurity (YouTube)— Fifty-five-minute video, with accompanying materials: SUA Promising Practices (Slides), and SUA Promising Practices Takeaway Sheet (2022)
- Identifying & Screening for Food Insecurity (YouTube)— One-hour video, with accompanying materials: Identifying & Screening for Food Insecurity Slides, and Identifying & Screening for Food Insecurity Takeaway Sheet (2022)
- Referrals & Interventions for Older Adults With Food Insecurity (YouTube)— One-hour video, with accompanying materials: Referrals & Interventions for Food Insecurity (Slides), and Referrals & Interventions for Food Insecurity Takeaway Sheet (2022)
- Food Insecurity and Malnutrition (YouTube)— One-hour video, defining malnutrition and food insecurity, exploring causes, solutions, and the role of partnerships, with accompanying materials: Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Slides, Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Takeaway Sheet, and Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Tip Sheet (2021)
- Links Between Food Insecurity, Nutrition, and Mental Health— Webinar resource (International Council on Active Aging, 2022)
- Iowa Stops Hunger Video Library— Call to action to fight food insecurity (Iowa Stops Hunger)
- Make Your Mark on Food Insecurity — Slides that highlight two programs using innovative methods to fight food insecurity, with accompanying materials: Make Your Mark on Food Insecurity Tip Sheet (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2020)
- Malnutrition and Food Insecurity (YouTube)— Two-minute video that defines the differences between malnutrition and food insecurity (Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, 2024)
- Congregate and Home-Delivered Meals (YouTube)— Two-minute video explaining how the Older Americans Act supports senior nutrition programs to help combat malnutrition and food insecurity (Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, 2024)
Reports
- How Food Insecurity Affects Older Adults— Report on food insecurity and health (University of Michigan, 2020)
- The State of Senior Hunger in America — Annual report that examines food insecurity rates among Americans age 60 and older (Feeding America, 2025)
- The Health Consequences of Senior Hunger in the United States— Evidence from the 1999-2016 NHANES (Feeding America, 2021)
- Household Food Security in the United States— Data report (USDA, 2024)
- Hunger in Older Adults— Report on challenges and opportunities for the aging network (Meals on Wheels America, 2017)