End Food Insecurity in Black Neighborhoods

Food insecurity is a heavy issue in the United States, and the effects are more particularly prominent in black neighborhoods that sit close to the poverty line. According to the USDA, food insecurity is defined as “having limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.” In a study conducted by the USDA in 2019, they concluded that close to 20% of black households were food-insecure, compared to 7.7% of white households. (The pandemic greatly spiked the percent of black households, and I will cover that later on). That’s nearly 3.03 million black households that are living with food insecurity. Eating foods with little nutritional value can cause spikes in blood pressure which, in turn, can lead to diabetes and heart diseases. If there was better, more accessible food education in schools or online as well as healthier food markets in certain black neighborhoods, then the number of food insecure households would decrease tremendously. With a change like this, these neighborhoods would feel empowered to fight for more issues working against them. If the issue is left as is, then the huge food companies selling cheap, addictive food, will continue to make money off of their poor quality products.