COVID - 19 and Food Insecurity

The world was taken up by storm when COVID-19 emerged, affecting billions worldwide. Drastic changes were made, especially when everyone was forced to stay home to prevent the spread of the virus. While everyone was safe from contracting COVID, this limited access to fresh, healthy food. Since going out to do groceries and the like must be done strategically to lessen the chances of exposure, choosing food with longer shelf life, such as processed foods, canned goods, and the like, is important. Now we know that processed foods contain high sodium, sugar and tons of preservatives that are detrimental to one's health. It may seem insignificant initially; however, this isolation took not only months, but two years.

While the pandemic limited economic activities, it also caused the rise of inflation. A lot of people lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Many businesses closed, resulting in employees being laid off and losing their jobs. Because of these factors, people experience?food insecurity.?Some causes include poverty, chronic health conditions and?racial discrimination.

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People are food insecure when they lack regular access to safe and nutritious food for a healthy life. A lack of resources or scarcity of food may cause this. During the peak of the pandemic, most people suffered from this. The?cost of processed food?was cheaper and more accessible than healthy food, so people chose the former. Lack of nutritious food will impact one's overall health and may increase one's risk of diabetes, heart disease, etc. This can cause serious health issues, especially when spending money on food, medicine and healthcare.

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Studies?have shown that food insecurity makes a household prone and vulnerable to infectious diseases. Due to the lack of quality and nutritious food, one's immune system is weakened, and one becomes more susceptible to contracting diseases. In the long run, this weakens a person's immune system and underlying health condition.

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When an area has limited access to affordable and healthy food, such low-income neighbourhoods experience the food desert phenomenon. In the long run, the food desert phenomenon can contribute to food insecurity because the people living in these areas cannot obtain enough nutritious food. Unfortunately, this has become a global health issue.??

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Experts say this may increase the risk of health issues such as obesity, diabetes, heart problems and other weight-related conditions. When people cannot obtain healthy food, they tend to buy processed foods because they are inexpensive and taste good.??Studies?have shown that people eating more processed foods have 10% increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

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Now that it’s post-pandemic, everyone is recovering from the loss and adjusting to the new normal. Unfortunately, we are all still experiencing global inflation due to the pandemic. The exacerbating cost of living impacts people's access to healthy food.

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It is critical to address food insecurity so everyone can access the food they require for good health and general welfare. Governments and communities must work together to provide food assistance, improve regional food systems, and tackle the underlying causes of food insecurity, such as poverty and inequality. We as an individual can all be part of this by supporting this movement and helping one another.

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