food insecurity

noun

plural food insecurities
: the fact or an instance of being unable to consistently access or afford adequate food
The USDA defines food insecurity as a household's inability to provide enough food for each person to live an active, healthy lifestyle. Food insecurity can also occur when there is an abundance of processed, pre-packaged, calorie-dense foods, because these foods do not contain adequate nutrition.The Northeast Mississippi (Tupelo) Daily Journal
The federal government often allocates funds to help citizens facing food insecurity and other socio-economic hardships …Yssis Cano-Santiago
This past year has laid bare concerns about food insecurities in this country. The pandemic has led to shortages in the grocery store on essential items like toilet paper and meat.Amanda Radke

Examples of food insecurity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And there's also just the idea that a lot of these climate hazards and vulnerabilities–water insecurity, food insecurity, price spikes, contests over natural resources–all these things can eventually contribute to or lead to conflict. Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025 With the funding from Endeavor, the Conservation Foundation hopes to address food insecurity to an even greater extent. Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025 In the one ruling on output perceived as being favorable to the Israeli agenda, the ECU said that an online BBC News article omitted relevant information about how Israel’s actions in Gaza had contributed to food insecurity in the region. Jake Kanter, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2025 In Africa alone, 1 in 3 children experience severe food insecurity, and this largely affects students’ retention rates in schools. Sara Lindsay, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for food insecurity

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of food insecurity was in 1950

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Cite this Entry

“Food insecurity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/food%20insecurity. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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