Food Insecurity and Sustainability

• low food security: reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet; little or no indication of reduced food intake
• very low food security: report multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake
• affects households! not just an individual situation
• episodic or cyclical problem
• not a “food desert,” lack of food based on financial and other resources

Texas Food Insecurity Statistics

• 1 in 8 Texans or nearly 4 million Texans experience food insecurity
• 20% or 1 in 5 children in Texas experience hunger
• 11% of households with seniors in Texas face food insecurity

Food Insecurity Effects

• difficult decisions and coping mechanisms (food vs. health care, utilities)
• health complications (cognitive, growth in children, disease management in adults)

What is Food Insecurity? - Feeding Texas

Food Waste

• households, retailers, restaurants
• 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food that is not consumed
• choose healthy diets, support small food producers, choose sustainable, create green spaces (gardens), reduce food waste, etc.
• UNT Dining Services – Mean Green’s Hydroponic Freight Farm