Nutrition Security Research Resources
Nutrition security is an emerging topic in Federal food assistance and nutrition policy discussions. It encompasses several aspects of nutrition—including acquisition, consumption, and education. Nutrition security and food security are closely linked. USDA defines food security as access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. An active, healthy life depends on both adequate amounts of food and the proper mix of nutrient-rich food to meet an individual’s nutrition and health needs.
Many factors contribute to nutrition security, including access to affordable, healthy foods provided through a productive, resilient food supply. Consumers also need reliable information from food labeling and nutrition education to be able to make the choices that best fit their nutritional needs—while also being compatible with their household budgets, cultural preferences, and lifestyles.
ERS conducts economic research on numerous topics central to food and nutrition security in order to inform public and private decision making. The following information provides links to selected ERS resources on these topics.
ERS Nutrition Security Research and Resources
- Food Security in the United States
- USDA Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs—SNAP, WIC, Child Nutrition
- Affordability
- Food Access
- Food Supply and Availability
- Diet Quality and Nutrition
- Nutrition Information and Education
Food Security in the United States
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ERS Data and Interactive Tools
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ERS Reports and Articles
- Household Food Security in the United States in 2021
- Food Insecurity Decreased for U.S. Households With Children in 2021, but Increased for Households Without Children
- Food Insecurity for Households With Children Rose in 2020, Disrupting Decade-long Decline
- Food Pantry Use Increased in 2020 for Most Types of U.S. Households
- Children’s Food Security and USDA Child Nutrition Programs
- Food Insecurity Among Working-Age Veterans
- Food Security and Food Purchase Quality Among Low-Income Households: Findings From the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS)
- Food-Insecure Households Score Lower on Diet Quality Compared to Food-Secure Households
- Food Insecurity, Chronic Disease, and Health Among Working-Age Adults
- Adults in Households With More Severe Food Insecurity Are More Likely To Have a Chronic Disease
USDA Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs—SNAP, WIC, Child Nutrition
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ERS Data and Interactive Tools
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ERS Reports and Articles
- The Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape: Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Report
- State SNAP Policies Unlikely to Close Participation Gap Between Seniors and Non-Seniors, Study Shows
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Online Purchasing Expanded in First Two Years of Pandemic
- Pandemic-Related Program Changes Continued to Shape the U.S. Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape in Fiscal Year 2021
- COVID-19 Working Paper: Filling the Pandemic Meal Gap: Disruptions to Child Nutrition Programs and Expansion of Free Meal Sites in the Early Months of the Pandemic
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Transformed the U.S. Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Landscape
- Free Meal Sites Expanded Rapidly To Provide Meals to Children During the Early Months of the Pandemic
- COVID-19 Working Paper: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Redemptions during the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Cost Containment and Participant Access in USDA's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Evidence from the Greater Los Angeles, CA, Area
- SNAP Households Adjust Their Expenditures and How They Spend Their Time in Response to Changes in Program Benefits
- Specialized Stores Serving Participants in USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Can Reduce Program Food Costs and Increase Food Store Access
- The Economic Impacts of Breastfeeding: A Focus on USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- Daily Access to Local Foods for School Meals: Key Drivers
- USDA School Meals Support Food Security and Good Nutrition
- USDA’s National School Lunch Program Reduces Food Insecurity
Affordability
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ERS Data and Interactive Tools
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ERS Reports and Articles
- ERS Data Products Show Food-At-Home Price Inflation From Producers to Consumers
- New Analysis Approach Illuminates Differences in Food Spending Across U.S. Populations
- Understanding the Components of U.S. Food Expenditures During Recessionary and Non-Recessionary Periods
- Food Spending by U.S. Consumers Fell Almost 8 Percent in 2020
- Food Taxes Linked With Spending Habits of Lower Income Households
- Food Taxes and Their Impacts on Food Spending
- For Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Households, Fruit and Vegetable Affordability Is Partly a Question of Budgeting
- USDA’s Purchase to Plate Price Tool Estimates Food Costs for National Food Intake Data
- The Food-Spending Patterns of Households Participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Findings From USDA's FoodAPS
- Consumers Balance Time and Money in Purchasing Convenience Foods
- COVID-19 Working Paper: The Effects of COVID-19 on Food Sales
- Food-Insecure Households Spend Less and Acquire Less Food Per Week Than Food-Secure Households
- Inflation and Higher Food Prices Kept Food Insecurity Rates Relatively High After the 2007-09 Recession
- Higher Food Prices Mean Higher Rates of Food Insecurity for SNAP Participant
Food Access
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ERS Data and Interactive Tools
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ERS Reports and Articles
- Limited-Service Restaurants Closing Gap With Full-Service Establishments in Rural United States
- The Rural Food-Away-from-Home Landscape, 1990–2019
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Online Purchasing Expanded in First Two Years of Pandemic
- State SNAP Policies Unlikely to Close Participation Gap Between Seniors and Non-Seniors, Study Shows
- Low-Income and Low-Foodstore-Access Census Tracts, 2015–19
- Rural Counties Losing Share of Grocery Stores, Gaining Other Types of Food Retailers
- New Super Stores Slightly Expanded Purchasing Power for Participants in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Super Stores’ Impact on the Availability of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Approved Stores
- The Food Retail Landscape Across Rural America
- Where Do Americans Usually Shop for Food and How Do They Travel To Get There? Initial Findings from the National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey
- Shopping at Farmers’ Markets and Roadside Stands Increases Fruit and Vegetable Demand
- Food Pantries Provide Emergency Food to More Than One-Quarter of Food-Insecure Households
Food Supply and Availability
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ERS Data and Interactive Tools
Diet Quality and Nutrition
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ERS Data and Interactive Tools
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ERS Reports and Articles
- COVID-19 Working Paper: Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Adult Subpopulations During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Dietary Quality by Food Source and Demographics in the United States, 1977–2018
- Trends in U.S. Whole-Grain Intakes 1994–2018: The Roles of Age, Food Source, and School Food
- Data Linkages Shed Light on Older USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participants’ Health
- America’s Eating Habits: Food Away From Home
- Supermarkets, Schools, and Social Gatherings: Where Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Other U.S. Households Acquire Their Foods Correlates With Nutritional Quality
- Working From Home Leads to More Time Spent Preparing Food, Eating at Home
- Nutritional Quality of Foods Acquired by Americans: Findings From USDA’s National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey
Nutrition Information and Education
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ERS Data and Interactive Tools
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ERS Reports and Articles