Definitions of Food Insecurity. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) differ slightly in their definitions and interpretations of food security. In 1996, the WHO at the World Food Summit defined food security as, “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”.10 In this definition, the WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations base food security on four pillars: 1) food availability, 2) food access, 3) food use, and 4) the stability of the previous three dimensions over time.10 While the WHO interpretation of food security takes into account individuals’ food preferences and both the need for physical and economic access to food, the USDA defines food security as “all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. Food security includes at a minimum: (1) the ready availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and (2) an assured ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways (that is, without resorting to emergency food supplies, scavenging, stealing, or other coping strategies)”.6 The fundamental difference between the definitions is that the USDA aims to ensure food security without individuals and families seeking emergency food assistance. Unfortunately, millions of individuals and families in the US face food insecurity every year.6
