The Environmental Impact of Food Insecurity

Believe it or not, food insecurity doesn’t just affect individuals and families—it also has significant environmental consequences often overlooked. When people lack access to nutritious food, they have to rely on highly processed, low-cost options that require extensive resources to produce and transport. If we momentarily remove the health related consequences of a diet based on highly processed foods, we can see how this contributes to higher carbon emissions, increased packaging waste, and excessive energy and water use.

Additionally, food insecurity is closely linked to food waste. While millions go hungry, vast amounts of food are discarded every day due to inefficiencies in distribution, expiration dates, and consumer habits. When food is wasted, so are the water, energy, and labor used to produce it. Decomposing food in landfills also releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas with significant environmental consequences.

Although not much can be done at the macro level to have a meaningful impact, a lot can be done at a local and individual level to reduce the environmental impact of food insecurity. A few key solutions for this include:

• Reducing food waste at home, as by being mindful of reducing food waste this can have a trickle down effect in reducing the environmental impact of this issue.

• Volunteering with local organizations in food distribution efforts. This strengthens the structure in place to ensure at-risk individuals have access to nutritious meals. Volunteers can help by sorting food, help with distribution efforts in local food drives, aid in food collection efforts, etc.

• Donations to local organizations that are experts in fighting food insecurity (see below!)

We all can help reduce food waste, promote sustainable food systems, and ensure that resources are used efficiently, especially when it comes to food. Join us in fighting hunger and protecting the environment—donate to our virtual food drive today!