What Solutions Are There To This Problem?

Reports on food insecurity, stigma, and its effect on college students have shown the need for policies and programs, such as campus food pantries or financial aid modifications, to address the issue. However, many of these programs do not address the fact that stigma prevents students from reaching out for help or the fact that some food pantries do not offer what the students need to succeed. Some research points to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as one way to combat the issue, but low-income college students find it difficult to get help from food assistance programs due to federal restrictions.12 Studies show that only 6.4% of students receive (SNAP) benefits and that out of the people that receive these benefits, 69% of them are still food insecure.10 The COVID-19 pandemic allowed for changes to some of the SNAP policies but this was set to expire after the worst of the pandemic ended with no new solution planned after the expiration. 

Others point to dining plans as the solution. Yet, while there are plenty of dining plans, the cheaper plans that food insecure students can afford do not cover three meals a day for the entire week, making it likely that they will still go hungry on certain days when they run out of dining hall meals. This has made it to where 43% of students with dining plans are still food insecure.10 The use of on-campus pantries can also be hindered due to stigma. Studies show that an emphasis on individual-level factors causes shame for many of those using pantries and other programs.5 Food pantries also may not provide the level of healthy foods that students need, or they do not have resources to show students how to use what foods they have available to create healthier meal options for themselves. Interventions to improve the healthfulness of food pantries on college campuses could lead to improved health among students using the pantry services.10

To help combat stigma and encourage the use of college food pantries and access to healthy foods, there needs to be more focused interventions created. Tailoring the approach of college food pantries to their specific campus demographics, the living situations provided by the campus, and the pantry users can help them empower their patrons to learn how to better adapt to their situation. More targeted interventions can allow all students at a university to maximize their education and, hopefully, allow them to create a better future for themselves. Offering tools that not only alleviate food insecurity in students but that also help them better understand how to make healthier meal choices can empower them to continue using those strategies for the future to better their health.