First Draft:

Research Paper: Food insecurity 

How has COVID impacted the decrease in food production and has this limited the access to security? If so have these restrictions affected Unauthorized immigrants in any way? Food insecurity is defined as, a position someone is in where they are not able to access and/or afford food. Some people may misinterpret food insecurity as, a negative relationship someone goes through with food either through traumatic experiences or the influence of others. Which is false. During the pandemic, many people across the world we’re dealing with a loss one way or another, and to make it worse unemployment rates were increasing by the minute. Because of this the mandatory need for food storage in households increased drastically, this easily caused accessible everyday food and toiletry products harder to get or access. While the world was going through emergency locked down and frightening panic, the security and concern of unauthorized immigrants weren’t taken into account. Resulting in many consequences for those affected.

In New York City in recent years COVID cases have been skyrocketing by the millions. Because of this the availability and need for resourceful nutritional foods have been scarce. According to the NYC food policy article “Testomony on the status of Hunger in NYC and the impact of COVID” paragraph 4 on Desperties In The Food System Among New York City Communities, lines 1-3, “Communities affected by food apartheid are those in which nutritious food is unavailable and unhealthy fast-food provides a disproportionately high percentage of people’s diet. The lack of healthy food options in underserved communities is a systemic issue  that will require innovative, community-driven interventions to correct”. Healthier alternatives along with fresh produce haven’t always been the first choice when it came to putting food on the table for low-income-wage individuals and families. Because of the increase in inflations for fresh consumable products, according to FMI, “92% of shoppers have changed their shopping habits as a result of noticing higher prices for fresh produce”. Leading consumers to increase their spending on affordable shelf-life canned foods. statically the demographics that have been greatly affected by this in New York City, are Black (African-Americans/Africans), and Hispanics. “12 percent of Black adults reported that their households accessed free meals or groceries, compared to 8 percent of Asian adults and 4 percent of White adults in March 2021” according to the NYC Food Policy article.

From those affected, unauthorized immigrants aren’t treated and supported at the rate as those who are documented. According to the Health Affairs article “Maximizing Food Security For Unauthorized Immigrants During COVID-19” paragraph 5, lines1-3, “ Unauthorized immigrants have limited options to access food assistance and other social safety-net programs because of their immigration status, and thus rely heavily on emergency food organizations, such as food banks and food pantries”. Although during the pandemic the government has been providing funding to citizens and non-citizens by distributing stimulus packages, this still isn’t enough to sustain. Considering rent bills, household bills such as water, heating, and internet bills, etc. While the distribution of stimulus checks may sound amazing and a step in the right direction, there are still many unauthorized immigrants who still haven’t received or aren’t eligible to receive their stimulus checks. For the simple reason of not having a social security number, and valid documentation. Yes, there are food assistance programs that make it their job to provide nutritional meals and needed food emergencies regardless of your immigration status, but in some cases, not everyone is eligible for this assistance. That’s why Increasing access to food banks across America is important.

Final Draft:

Research Paper: Food Insecurity 

How has COVID impacted the decrease in food production and has this limited the access to security? If so have these restrictions affected Unauthorized immigrants in any way? Food insecurity is defined as, a position someone is in where they are not able to access and/or afford food. Some people may misinterpret food insecurity as, a negative relationship someone goes through with food either through traumatic experiences or the influence of others. Which is false. During the pandemic, many people across the world were dealing with a loss one way or another, and to make it worse unemployment rates were increasing by the minute. Because of this the mandatory need for food storage in households increased drastically, this easily caused accessible everyday food and toiletry products harder to get or access. While the world was going through emergency locked downs and frightening panics, the security and concern of unauthorized immigrants weren’t taken into account. Resulting in many consequences for those affected.

In recent years New York City COVID-19 cases have been skyrocketing by the millions. Because of this the availability and need for resourceful nutritional foods have been scarce. According to the NYC food policy article “Testimony on the status of Hunger in NYC and the impact of COVID” paragraph 4 on Desperties In The Food System Among New York City Communities, lines 1-3, “Communities affected by food apartheid are those in which nutritious food is unavailable and unhealthy fast-food provides a disproportionately high percentage of people’s diet. The lack of healthy food options in underserved communities is a systemic issue that will require innovative, community-driven interventions to correct”. Healthier alternatives along with fresh produce haven’t always been the first choice when it came to putting food on the table, for low-income-wage individuals and families. Because of the great increase in inflations for fresh consumable products, according to FMI, “92% of shoppers have changed their shopping habits as a result of noticing higher prices for fresh produce”. Leading consumers to increase their spending on affordable shelf-life canned foods. Statistically, the demographics that have been greatly affected by this in New York City, are Black (African-Americans/Africans). “Due to the pandemic, food insecurity in the Black community increased. An estimated 24% of the Black community experienced food insecurity in 2020. Black children are almost three times more likely to live in a food-insecure household than white children. While the United States has an overall poverty rate of 11.4%, within the Black community, the poverty rate is 19.5%. Meanwhile, poverty in the non-Hispanic, white community is 10.1%”. According to Feeding America.

Unauthorized immigrants have also been tremendously affected by these situations and aren’t treated and supported at the rate as those who are documented. According to the Health Affairs article “Maximizing Food Security For Unauthorized Immigrants During COVID-19” paragraph 5, lines1-3, “ Unauthorized immigrants have limited options to access food assistance and other social safety-net programs because of their immigration status, and thus rely heavily on emergency food organizations, such as food banks and food pantries”. Although during the pandemic the government has been providing funding to citizens and non-citizens by distributing stimulus packages, this still isn’t enough to sustain. Considering rent bills, household bills such as water, heating, and internet bills, etc. While the distribution of stimulus checks may sound amazing and a step in the right direction, there are still many unauthorized immigrants who still haven’t received or aren’t eligible to receive their stimulus checks. For the simple reason of not having a social security number, and valid documentation. These defects can jeopardize the proper living conditions that should be prioritized for all people. Not everyone is eligible for government assistance. That’s why Increasing access to food banks across America is important.

Because the majority of unauthorized immigrants and low-income families have access to little or no income, the chances of living a long substantial life aren’t high. According to Food Insecurity and Food Resource Utilization in an Urban Immigrant Community (paragraph3, lines 2-6), “ Food insecurity has been linked to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and depression. Researchers have found an elevated risk of food insecurity among low-income individuals, families with children in the household, residents of “food deserts,” migrants, and other socially and economically disadvantaged people”.  Because of these unfortunate health problems that devlope due to their incapablities, “Evidence from the United States (U.S.) and Canada has found, on average, health care use and costs to be substantially higher among adults living with food insecurity compared to others”, according to The Early Food Insecurity Impacts of COVID-19. Some people may ask, “well aren’t their resourceful programs available for these types of state of affairs?”. Yes, there are food assistance programs that make it their job to provide nutritional meals and needed food emergencies regardless of your immigration status. Such as SNAP “ (formerly “food stamps”), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and food pantries (free food outlets typically operated by churches and other community non-profits), according to Food Insecurity and Food Resource Utilization in an Urban Immigrant Community (paragraph 4, lines 2-5). Unfortunately in some cases, some families don’t take advantage of these great opportunities. According to  Food Insecurity and Food Resource Utilization in an Urban Immigrant Community (paragraph 4, lines  5-7), “Many food-insecure families do not participate in such programs, one study reporting that only 39.6 % of the food insecure received SNAP benefits”. These concerning actions could have been stimulated by, the want for better status amongst peers and the negative perception people who don’t rely on or aren’t qualified have of those who receive it. In all fairness, some people don’t understand that programs like these are put in place for people like them.

Students across the boroughs of  New York City and all over the world have had to deal with nutrition crises during the pandemic. College students have undoubtedly become the new face of food insecurity. According to College Students and SNAP: The New Face of Food Insecurity in the United States (paragraph, lines 1-5), “Over the last decade, multiple studies of food insecurity among college students have found rates ranging from 20% to more than 50%, depending on the population studied, sampling methods, and measures used to define food insecurity. These rates are considerably higher than the 12% food insecurity rate that US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported for the general US population in 2017”. As a recent undergraduate student, this isn’t surprising at all. There have been famous debates that Nissin Top ramen noodle soup has gotten lots of students through college. Some believe that adding any type of poultry, meat, or fish into your ramen noodle soup meant you were “fancy”, considering those items aren’t always affordable for students. Depending on the traditional beliefs parents hold toward their children. “In the past, traditional college students enrolled in college full-time immediately after high school, depended on parents for financial support, and worked part-time or not at all during the school year. Now, such students account for less than a third of college enrollment. undergraduate students were financially independent of their parents. One-third attended public 2-year colleges, also known as community colleges. More than a fifth had dependent children themselves, and 14% were single parents. A quarter worked full-time. Overall, 71% of college students had at least 1 of the characteristics of “nontraditional” students, showing that the more diverse populations that have entered college in higher numbers have now become the new collegiate norm” according to College Students and SNAP: The New Face of Food Insecurity in the United States (paragraph 5). Living expenses for (in-house) campus college students have undoubtedly increased due to inflation, which has made it hard to afford rent, food, transportation, books, and supplies. There should be solutions when it comes to matters like these. SNAP has been one of those solutions for suffering college students but unluckily not for every student. According to College Students and SNAP: The New Face of Food Insecurity in the United States (paragraph 12  lines 17-27), “Congress declared that full-time students, defined as students attending classes at least half-time, were ineligible for food stamps unless they were working 20 hours a week or more or qualified for 1 of several possible exemptions. Four-fifths of the 250,000 students in the program lost their benefits”.  Because of this “even when students believe they are eligible for SNAP, stigma and the daunting process of application and enrollment may deter them from applying”, according to College Students and SNAP: The New Face of Food Insecurity in the United States (paragraph 16, lines 1-5).

The pandemic has played a major role in the many losses that many people have had to deal with. Hunger and unemployment crisis have increased at an alarming rate, especially in New York City. Considering it’s a highly populated city. The death rate has been increasing by millions every day. Even before COVID-19 these events happened but not on an everyday basis. Low-income students from all over the world had and even still have to rely on accessing lunch in their households and that isn’t promised every day. Of course, these problems should come with solutions, but those solutions aren’t built for everyone sometimes. While there are programs that specifically specialize in helping individuals who face everything I’ve stated, not everyone authorize or unauthorized (immigrants) can or are eligible to receive them. That’s why there should be better regulations taken to allow access across the board, and beneficial resources regardless of the economic status of the individual(s).

Credited Cite:

Catherine Douglas Moran, Amid inflation, price plays a bigger role in the produce aisle, https://www.grocerydive.com/news/amid-inflation-price-plays-a-bigger-role-in-the-produce-aisle/620026/#:~:text=FMI’s%20report%2C%20which%20used%20data,volume%20sales%20were%20down%202%25, Grocery Dive News, March 9, 2022.

Freudenberg Nicholas, Goldrick-Rab Sara, Poppendieck Janet, College Students, and SNAP: The New Face of Food Insecurity in the United States, https://academicworks.cuny.edu/sph_pubs/266/, CUNY Academic Works, January 2019.

David Velasquez, Jordan Kondo, Sarah Downer, Emily Broad Leib, Maximizing Food Security For Unauthorized Immigrants During COVID-19, https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20200724.40740/full/#:~:text=Unauthorized%20immigrants%2C%20who%20are%20usually,children%20reported%20being%20food%20insecure, Health Affairs Journal, July 28, 2020.

Niles T. Meredith, Bertman Farryl, Belarmino H. Emily, Wentworth Thomas, Biehl Erin, Neff Roni, The Early Food Insecurity Impacts of COVID-19, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7400862/,

PMC PubMed Central, July 15, 2020.

Greenwald P. Howard & Zajfen Vanessa, Food Insecurity and Food Resource Utilization in an Urban Immigrant Community, https://link-springer-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/article/10.1007/s10903-015-0331-9,

Springer Link, December 21, 2015.

Hunger Hits Black Communities Harder, https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/african-american