New OSU report shows about 25% of Oregonians experienced food insecurity in 2020

(JANUARY 11, 2021) A new report from Oregon State University says about 1 million Oregonians — close to 1 in 4 people — experienced food insecurity in 2020. That means they had a disruption in their ability to feed themselves or their family. According to the new report, the COVID-19 pandemic and employment crisis caused food insecurity to at least double what it was a year ago, with Black, Hispanic/Latino and Indigenous households especially hard-hit.

“We’d been really improving and getting to historically low levels of food insecurity. Then suddenly all that got reversed in a very short time, and the new number is extraordinarily high,” said Mark Edwards. He is a sociology professor and director of OSU’s Policy Analysis Laboratory in the College of Liberal Arts.

His research measured food insecurity by asking people questions. For example: Have you cut down the size of your meals to stretch your food budget? Or, have you ever had to skip a meal?

Low-income households, households struggling with unemployment or reduced hours, and single-mother households are most likely to experience food insecurity, Edwards said. Roughly 20% of Black, Hispanic/Latino and Indigenous households experienced food insecurity in December 2019, compared with 10% of the white population.

“So now if you imagine that our food insecurity rate has doubled, then there’s every reason to believe that the number for people of color has doubled into the 30% range — and I’m being really conservative when I say that,” Edwards said. “It’s likely well north of 30%.”

Greater food insecurity stems from other systemic inequities, including higher rates of poverty, unemployment and underemployment among people of color.

Based on available data, Asian households are more in line with white households in their rate of food insecurity, though the data does not break down into sub-groups.

Food insecurity has far-reaching ramifications for physical and mental well-being, Edwards said. “Worrying about being able to feed your family and having to make choices that you know are not the healthiest for you and them, cutting meals or portions — this is not how any of us want to live,” he said.