More than 1 in 4 Los Angeles County households experienced at least one instance of food insecurity — a lack of access to affordable and nutritious food — from April through July.
More than 1 in 4 Los Angeles County households experienced at least one instance of food insecurity — a lack of access to affordable and nutritious food — from April through July, according to a new study directed by Public Exchange, based at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The study also found that the pandemic has overwhelmingly impacted women, people with low incomes and the unemployed, and Latinos. Higher income groups that don’t typically struggle to afford food were also affected.
Though levels of food insecurity in the county peaked in April, during the early days of the pandemic, it remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels.
“For the first time, we’re getting a comprehensive look at how the pandemic has impacted the ability of Los Angeles County residents to afford food,” said Kayla de la Haye, the lead researcher and assistant professor of preventive medicine at Keck School of Medicine of USC. “The spread of COVID-19 has worsened the already high levels of food insecurity among low-income households and marginalized groups and has even impacted demographic groups that are historically less likely to ever experience it.”
The study is one of the first to measure food insecurity in a major U.S. city since the start of the pandemic.
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Image via Los Angeles County.
