Though abject starvation has been virtually eliminated in the United States, the state of food security in American households remains a persistent challenge to the health and well-being of the nation. Food insecurity, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is an “economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.”1 Food insecurity exists at different levels of severity, which are typically classified with the labels, “low” or “very low”. Low food security presents itself as a decrease in quality, variety, and appeal of diet. Very low food insecurity, alternatively, indicates a frequent reduction of food intake and irregular eating patterns. This level of food insecurity may lead to persistent hunger resulting in “discomfort, illness, weakness, or pain that goes beyond the usual uneasy sensation.”

Over the years, food insecurity rates have been following decreasing trends. During 2015-17, about 12.3 percent (15.0 million) of US households experienced at least one instance of food insecurity -- a decrease of 2 percent from 2014-16’s all-time high of 14.3 percent.2 Adults living in these households reported experiencing limited or uncertain access to adequate food, including a decrease in quantity, variety, and quality of meals. A further 4.8 percent of adults experienced very low food security. The majority of households with low food security reported that the occupant, at some point during the year, was not able to eat due to financial constraints.

The rate of food insecurity fluctuates from state to state. State-dependent factors that contribute to the prevalence of food insecurity are average wage, housing costs, unemployment rates, federal policies limiting access to unemployment insurance, the State Earned Income Tax Credit, and access to nutrition assistance programs.2 With respect to Hawaii, 7.4 percent of households experienced food insecurity at some point during 2015-17, a 4.9 percent decrease from the 2012-14 interim of 12.3 percent.2 Compared with the rest of the nation, Hawaii has the lowest rate of food insecurity. The highest instance was seen by the state of New Mexico in which 17.9 percent of the population experienced food insecurity during the 2015-17 year period. Furthermore, Hawaii’s rate of very low food security was 2.9 percent compared to Alabama and Louisiana’s nation-high of 7.1 percent.2

At its root, food insecurity is a financial problem. Poverty invariably results in a lack of resources, which can limit access to food. Higher unemployment rates and lower wages are risk factors for both poverty and food insecurity.4 Households with incomes near or below the federal poverty level and single-parent households with children are particularly at risk for food insecurity.3 Furthermore, patterns of food insecurity are high among Pacific Islanders, who have a poverty rate of around 10 percent.6 Molokai, Lanai, and Maui experienced the highest levels of food insecurity while Oahu was the most food-secure among the Hawaiian islands. It should be noted, however, that all islands had high levels of food insecure in certain geographical areas, many of which are home to a greater percentage of Pacific Islanders. According to Hawaii’s last comprehensive food insecurity survey conducted across 1999-2000, food insecurity impacted over “1 in 4 Hawaiians/Part Hawaiians, 1 in 4 Filipinos, and 1 in 2 other Pacific Islanders compared to 1 in 10 Japanese or Chinese.”7 Thus far, food insecurity rates in Hawaii have not been updated by the Hawaii Health Services.

Many hunger-relief organizations have been established over the years to combat food insecurity of all levels. In the state of Hawaii alone, there are more than a hundred food pantries spread across the five counties. This is best broken down by county: 62 in Honolulu, 15 in Hawaii, 17 in Maui, 13 in Kauai, and 2 in Kalawao.15

The largest of these pantries is the Hawaii Foodbank, a state-level organization of the national hunger-relief non-profit, Feeding America. The agency hosts annual donation drives to collect nonperishable food products and distributes them through assistance programs such as Ohana Produce Plus, Feeding Our Future, Food 4 Keiki, Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program.9 According to their annual 2017 report, the Hawaii Foodbank fed 287,000 people statewide or about one in five people in Hawaii.

Besides non-governmental hunger-relief agencies, food-insecure individuals may also participate in federal nutrition assistance programs funded by the State government. Eligibility benefits are established based on income and other conditions specific to each program. There are 8 core federally-funded programs in the United States: Supplemental Nutritional Application Program (SNAP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), The National School Lunch Program (NSLP), The School Breakfast Program (SBP), SFSP (The Summer Food Service Program), and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).