Amid the pandemic, conflict-related disruptions to supply chains, and inflation, food prices are rising, and people are struggling to keep healthy food on the table.
For many, that struggle began well before COVID-19 hit the U.S., said Merry Fitzpatrick, research assistant professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University. “The pandemic exacerbated a lot of [economic factors], and that hardship is carrying on into today,” she said. “We’re in a difficult time, and it’s especially hard for families who are more vulnerable to food insecurity.”
The recent price increases stung consumers hard, in part because they followed a longer pre-pandemic period when prices were lower and more stable by historical standards. “It’s been a policy strategy to ensure that the population has sufficient access to healthy food. So while other prices rose, a lot of food prices stayed stable in relation to incomes, and we’ve gotten used to that,” said Fitzpatrick, who studies food insecurity at the Feinstein International Center.
Now, as food prices return to higher levels, people are struggling to adjust. “There’s a bit of normalization happening, and it’s going to take a larger percentage of our income to feed ourselves,” Fitzpatrick said.
Some help has been available. A flood of federal aid in the peak months of COVID-19 helped most U.S. families weather high unemployment and government shutdowns, keeping rates of food insecurity from spiking. And most people struggling to meet their nutritional needs can seek out benefits through programs such as the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.
“In a lot of the countries where I do work, it’s a real problem, getting enough food for your family. Food security in the U.S. is not the same,” Fitzpatrick said. “Nobody’s really going to starve to death in the U.S.”
But certain groups may be left out of food assistance programs, according to Parke Wilde, SNAP expert and professor at the Friedman School. “One of the most challenged populations for being able to afford food is people who have low income, but for one reason or another are not eligible for SNAP,” Wilde said. “This could be low-income working people who are just above the income threshold. It could be recent immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, who for legal reasons aren’t eligible for SNAP benefits.”
Throughout the pandemic, those most affected by food price spikes have been low-income households with children, Black Americans, Native Americans, and Alaska Natives. “Each of these populations is especially hard-hit by high prices combined with not having a safety net,” Wilde said.
For people at middle- and high-income levels, Wilde said, food is a fairly small part of the total budget and less of a worry at the end of each month. But those who are food insecure often face time-related as well as financial stressors. “If you’re working two jobs, you’re ferociously time constrained, particularly if you’re also a parent,” he said.
There are practical ways to save money that start right in one’s own kitchen, although some of them do require a commitment of scarce time.
Wilde has conducted research on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Thrifty Food Plan, an outline of how to achieve a nutritious diet with limited resources. On the USDA plan, one adult will spend between $167-177 per month on groceries, while a family of four will spend $588 to $675.
“Healthy food is not necessarily expensive,” Wilde said. “Our research has found buying the foods you need to get adequate nutrients for health can be quite inexpensive.”
Wilde and Fitzpatrick offered tips on how to do just that, ranging from cooking more to eating less meat.
