Why Is This Important?

Inconsistent access to adequate amounts of nutritious food can have a negative impact on the health of individuals of all ages. In the US, adults in food insecure households are much more likely than food secure adults to have hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic health problems. Although food insecurity is harmful to any individual, it can be particularly devastating among children because they are more vulnerable to potential long-term consequences for their future physical and mental health and academic achievement.

Definition

Food insecurity refers to the USDA's measure of lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods. Food insecure households are not necessarily food insecure all the time. Food insecurity may reflect a household's need to make trade-offs between important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills, and purchasing nutritionally adequate foods.

Data Source

How the Measure is Calculated

How Are We Doing?

The USDA estimates that in 2022, about 994,800 people, including 262,260 children, in New Jersey were food insecure. That means 10.7% of individuals and 13.2% of children lived in homes without consistent access to adequate food for everyone to live healthy, active lives. Twenty-one percent of Blacks and 20% of Hispanics in New Jersey were food insecure that year. Food insecurity rates by county ranged from 6.8% in Hunterdon County to 13.1% in Cumberland County in 2022.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

New Jersey had the sixth lowest overall and second lowest child food insecurity rate among U.S. states in 2022. The average cost of a meal in New Jersey in 2022 was $4.19 compared to $3.99 nationally.

What Is Being Done?

The [https://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dfd/programs/njsnap/ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] (SNAP) and the [https://nj.gov/health/fhs/wic/ Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children] (WIC) play a critical role in helping low-income families break out of the cycle of hunger and diet-related disease. Both programs augment households' food budgets, allowing them to purchase more healthful foods, and provide nutrition education to participants. The [https://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/divisions/fn/ New Jersey Department of Agriculture] also administers several food distribution programs and child and adult nutrition programs.

Available Services

NJ Department of Agriculture, [https://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/divisions/fn/ Food and Nutrition Programs] NJ Department of Human Services, [https://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dfd/programs/njsnap/ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] (NJ SNAP) NJ Department of Health, [https://nj.gov/health/fhs/wic/ Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children] (WIC)

More Resources

USDA, [https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/ Food Security in the U.S.] USDA, [https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-environment-atlas/ Food Environment Atlas] New Jersey Department of Health, [https://nj.gov/health/nutrition/ Nutrition and Fitness] US Census Bureau, [https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/snap-eligibility-access.html SNAP Eligibility & Access] map by county and demographic characteristics Healthy People 2030: [https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/nutrition-and-healthy-eating Nutrition and Healthy Eating]

Health Program Information

Food insecurity is based on a series of questions on the U.S. Current Population Survey called the "Core Food Security Module." The module asks about a variety of food security conditions (e.g., worried food would run out, could not afford balanced meal, did not eat for a whole day because they could not afford enough food, etc.). Food insecurity was measured by the number of food insecure conditions experienced in the household and the frequency with which each condition was experienced in that household. "Food Insecurity" includes households with low and very low food security. For more information, visit the USDA Economic Research Service, [https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-security-in-the-united-states.aspx Food Security in the United States] web page.

Footnote References

[http://map.feedingamerica.org/ Map of Food Insecurity in The United States]. *Dewey, A., Harris, V., Hake, M., & Engelhard, E. (2024). "Map the Meal Gap 2024: An Analysis of County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2022." Feeding America. *Gundersen, C., Strayer, M., Dewey, A., Hake, M., & Engelhard, E. (2023). ''Map the Meal Gap 2023: An Analysis of County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2021.'' Feeding America. *Gundersen, C., Strayer, M., Dewey, A., Hake, M., & Engelhard, E. (2022). ''Map the Meal Gap 2022: An Analysis of County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2020''. Feeding America. *Gundersen, C., M. Strayer, A. Dewey, M. Hake, & E. Engelhard. ''Map the Meal Gap 2021: An Analysis of County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2019.'' Feeding America, 2021. *Gundersen, C., A. Dewey, E. Engelhard, M. Strayer & L. Lapinski. ''Map the Meal Gap 2020: A Report on County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the United States in 2018.'' Feeding America, 2020.