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Food Security Event
Important Links
Food insecurity exists for people on campus and Oklahoma. There are community organizations such as the Food Recovery Network, OU Food Pantry, Uprooted and Rising Norman right here in Norman. It is important to understand how food relates to discrimination and race. There is a problem of food insecurity specifically in Oklahoma. Food security and food in general is related to sustainability, read below to find out how.
Definitions:
Food Insecurity: The state of having insufficient or unreliable access to enough affordable, nutritious, food.
Food Desert: A geographical area, such as a ZIP code, that has insufficient access to affordable, nutritious food such as fresh produce, unprocessed grains, and other options usually found in a grocery store.
Food Swamp: A geographical area, such as a ZIP code, that has a high abundance of junk food, convenience stores, and liquor stores. In these areas, locations that offer options high in saturated fats, sodium, and processed sugars outnumber the locations that offer affordable, nutritious food options.
What does it look like in Oklahoma?
Out of Oklahoma’s 77 counties, 54 contain Food Deserts.
From these 76 low access counties, 45 have 50% or more of their population living in areas with low access to large grocery stores.
A great example of a food swamp is the one that exists in Northeast Oklahoma City, in the 73111 Zip Code. People living within this area are dealing with the recent closure of the only grocery store in the area and are faced with traveling great distances to access healthy food options. Many residents who do not have a vehicle or are confined to their homes are unable to travel across the city just to purchase groceries.
How does food insecurity affect people?
Living in a food desert or food swamp has drastic consequences on mental and physical health. People living in food swamps are far more likely to suffer from obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and general poor health. Although these conditions are often portrayed as being caused by malaise and ignorance, these health conditions are often a product of unfavorable food environments that severely constrain choice of diet.
Multiple studies have linked poor diet to a poor state of mental health and well-being. Diets rich in fresh produce, legumes, and unsaturated fats support decreased depression and productivity. Meanwhile, diets rich in saturated fats, sodium, and processed carbohydrates are likely to correlate with depressed mood. People who do not have access to nutritious foods are thereby more likely to suffer with these mental struggles. For college students in situations of insecurity, this problem can be especially magnified.
Are college students food insecure?
It is important to be aware that students on this campus deal with food insecurity. According to the New York Times, 45% of all college students are food insecure. Many students at the University of Oklahoma are dealing with worry of where their next meal will come from - as you go about your day, please be conscious of this fact.
What resources are available here?
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The OU Food Pantry exists to provide for students. The food pantry works hard to provide fresh and nutritious food.
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The student group Food Recovery Network works to reduce food waste by packaging leftover food from the residential colleges and donating to the food pantry. These packages are given out as full meal packages so that nutritious, ready-made food is available.
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The SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is a federal program formerly called food stamps. Are you eligible? http://www.gettingsnap.org/AmIEligible.html
How does food insecurity relate to racial justice? What is the food apartheid?
Communities of color are far more likely to be located in ZIP codes that face food insecurity. The definition of Food Apartheid is a food system which disproportionally disadvantages people of color and allocates food resources to high income areas - or areas that are predominately white communities. The outcome of this inequality can be seen in the incidence of Diabetes. Black Americans (12%) and Native Americans (15%) have disproportionately high rates of Diabetes, which is largely attributed to diet (non-hispanic white people: 8%). While a “food desert” sounds like a natural phenomena, the term “food apartheid” urges us to see the systemic racism that lies in our food system.
How does food insecurity relate to sustainability?
Food security is inextricably linked to sustainability. The current state of our food system is dire. For the past century, we have changed from a system that was run predominately by family farms to a heavily industrialized system that required toxic agricultural practices, farm consolidation, food processing operations, and distribution. This increases the distance that food then needs to be transported from the site of production to the person who buys it. In order to have food sustainability, local food infrastructure that supports affordable, nutritious food for all Americans must be in place.
How does food insecurity relate to sustainability?
Food security is inextricably linked to sustainability. The current state of our food system is dire. For the past century, we have changed from a system that was run predominately by family farms to a heavily industrialized system that required toxic agricultural practices, farm consolidation, food processing operations, and distribution. This increases the distance that food then needs to be transported from the site of production to the person who buys it. In order to have food sustainability, local food infrastructure that supports affordable, nutritious food for all Americans must be in place.