Paradigm Shift in Food Security at American Universities and Colleges: Post-COVID-19
Résumé
Food insecurity among students has gained increased attention from
policymakers in the United States. The high prevalence of food insecurity rates
among students, with some studies reporting that more than 50% of students are
food insecure, along with the threats this poses to student health, degree completion,
and success, demands a thorough understanding of this issue.
The previous decades and the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that more
needs to be done in the United States to understand food insecurity issues and
develop practical, effective solutions to attain the sustainable development goal of
achieving zero hunger (SDG 2). The growing population of low-income students,
high college costs and insufficient financial aid may explain the high rates of
food insecurity to a certain extent, but declining resources provided by higher
education and nutritional assistance programs must also be considered.
This chapter reviews the causes of food insecurity, its consequences, and how
campuses responded to it during the pandemic. It also examines data from peer-reviewed
and gray literature to understand the role of government policy and local
community actions in limiting food insecurity during the pandemic. Finally, it
suggests some tools (at the state and local levels) that could facilitate a more
robust response to food insecurity among university students in the United States.