Research

Race & Ethnicity and Food Insecurity

Published

A family receives groceries from a person in a food truck

Food insecurity occurs when a household cannot access enough food due to a lack of money and other essential resources. It is often linked to one or multiple factors that lead to food insecurity, creating a cycle that can be hard to break. Historical and ongoing discrimination, along with unfair systems in policies and institutions, have created disparities in food insecurity. To better understand these disparities, Feeding America conducts research exploring the intersection of race & ethnicity and food insecurity. 

 

Featured Research
a view of the Map the Meal Gap interactive showing Hispanic data
Map the Meal Gap

Feeding America's annual Map the Meal Gap study offers a comprehensive view of how food insecurity varies across the U.S. The study dives deep into localized data, estimating the extent of food insecurity in different communities. Explore the interactive map to see how food insecurity varies by community and read our most recent report which includes findings and analysis from the study.

 

 

 

 

The landing view of the Identifying Racism in the Drivers of Food Insecurity dashboard on Tableau Public
Identifying Racism in the Drivers of Food Insecurity

Individuals experience food insecurity within the context of their community and broader environment. Associations between household characteristics and increased risk of food insecurity often reflect underlying systemic barriers to opportunity, such as historic and ongoing discrimination and unfair systems in policies and institutions.

To explore the five drivers that have been directly linked to food insecurity, access our interactive dashboard  found on Feeding America's Tableau Public profile.

 

Additional Available Research

 

Learn about how Asian AmericanBlackLatino, and Native American communities experience food insecurity.

View our 2010 study, in partnership with the Urban Institute, examining the ways that federal food assistance programs help Latino children and their families.

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