Older Adult Food Insecurity

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In 2021, 7.9% of Missourians aged 60+ experienced food insecurity.1 The USDA defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in the household to live an active, healthy life. This means that in 2021, approximately 114,2162 Missourians aged 60+ did not have consistent access to adequate food for their household. The Consumer Price Index for Food shows that food prices in May 2023 were 6.7% higher than in May 2022.3 As food prices continue to rise, food insecurity among older Missourians is also likely to rise.

Data Sources and Reports Related to Food Insecurity in Missouri

  • 2023 Senior Report – State Summaries: The 2023 Senior Report provides a portrait of the health and well-being of older adults across the United States. Analyzing 52 measures from 22 data sources, the report features successes and challenges — including both some long-term trends that have reversed and some that persist — across a broad range of health measures.
  • Food Access Research Atlas: The Food Access Research Atlas presents an overview of food access indicators for low-income and other census tracts using different measures of supermarket accessibility; provides food access data for populations within census tracts; and offers census-tract-level data on food access that can be downloaded for community planning or research purposes.
  • Food Assistance & Hunger in the Heartland 2021 – State Report for Missouri: Feeding Missouri recently commissioned the MU Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security to conduct a study to better understand the characteristics of food pantries and circumstances of food pantry clients.
  • Food Price Outlook:  The USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) Food Price Outlook (FPO) provides data on food prices and forecasts annual food price changes up to 18 months in the future. On a monthly basis, ERS forecasts the annual percentage change in food prices for the current year and, beginning in July each year, for the following year.
  • Household Food Security in the United States in 2021: USDA monitors the extent and severity of food insecurity in U.S. households through an annual, nationally representative survey sponsored and analyzed by USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS). This report presents statistics from the survey that cover household food security, food expenditures, and use of Federal nutrition assistance programs in 2021.
  • Map the Meal Gap 2023 (2021 data): Published in May 2023, Map the Meal Gap 2023 is a report on county and congressional district food insecurity and county food cost in the United States in 2021. Along with estimates of food insecurity for the overall population and for children that have been included in past releases, for the first time in 2022, the study also included local food insecurity estimates for several racial and ethnic groups. This report does not provide estimates of food insecurity in the older adult population.
  • Missouri Hunger Atlas Web Application: Food insecurity and hunger are the reality for far too many people in our state. To gain a greater understanding of the extent and depth of this issue, the Missouri Hunger Atlas provides a county-by-county snapshot of food insecurity and hunger need, as well as an assessment of the performance of programs intended to mitigate food insecurity and hunger. The atlas visually engages readers through indicator maps and tables, and includes data and analysis for all 114 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.
  • Missouri Senior Food Insecurity Report 2018: This report illuminates the prevalence of senior food insecurity and encourages community members, health professionals, public officials, and decision makers at all levels to come together and take a deeper look at the causes of senior hunger by highlighting potential solutions to address the growing prevalence of senior food insecurity.
  • Missouri’s Harvest is in Reach: A story map provided by Missouri’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Program. This story map provides information about food insecurity and food access in Missouri. This story map focuses on the population as a whole and does not provide information specifically about the older adult population.
  • The State of Senior Hunger in 2021: Released in April 2023, The State of Senior Hunger in America report series which documents the prevalence of food insecurity among the senior population age 60 and older, as well as adults aged 50-59, at the national, state, and metro area.

1 The State of Senior Hunger in 2021, https://www.feedingamerica.org/research/state-senior-hunger 

2 2021 ACS 5-Year Estimates 1,445,771 Missourians aged 60+

3 Food Price Outlook, 2023, https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings/