A little more than 1 in 10 Americans can’t get enough to eat – around the same share of the country that was experiencing food insecurity before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Behavioral economics, long employed in grocery stores to guide customers to certain products, could be employed by food banks and pantries to encourage healthier choices.
Food insecurity affected many students even before the pandemic hit, with international students the worst hit. But students and universities have shown a lot can be done to end the problem.
The number of people assisted by food banks had been growing over the two decades before the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, these nonprofits are facing even more demand.
Not having enough to eat is a major public health concern, not only because it causes hunger and distress, but also because it’s linked to poor nutrition and unstable diet patterns.
Concerns about having enough to eat are worsening among college students during the pandemic. This could ultimately affect how many finish school, two scholars argue.
Susan H. Evans, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism y Peter Clarke, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Many of the low-income people who do use VeggieBook after downloading it at food pantries are eating more nutritious meals, often with more focused family time at the table.