food insecurity
noun
plural food insecurities
: the fact or an instance of being unable to consistently access or afford adequate food
The USDA defines food insecurity as a household's inability to provide enough food for each person to live an active, healthy lifestyle. Food insecurity can also occur when there is an abundance of processed, pre-packaged, calorie-dense foods, because these foods do not contain adequate nutrition.—
The Northeast Mississippi (Tupelo) Daily Journal
The Northeast Mississippi (Tupelo) Daily JournalThe federal government often allocates funds to help citizens facing food insecurity and other socio-economic hardships …—Yssis Cano-Santiago
Yssis Cano-SantiagoThis past year has laid bare concerns about food insecurities in this country. The pandemic has led to shortages in the grocery store on essential items like toilet paper and meat.—Amanda Radke
Amanda RadkeFood insecurity is linked to numerous situations, including poverty, job layoffs and living in food deserts …—Lelia Durand
Lelia DurandExamples of food insecurity in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to supplying food, the markets work to identify the underlying causes and health implications of food insecurity with education, nutrition and recipes.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
In the different sub-categories, Utah has the lowest percentage of smoking adults, and low poverty and food insecurity rates.
—Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 21 June 2026
The El Niño weather phenomenon also has the potential to exacerbate the impact of food insecurity, Razia Khan, chief economist for Africa at Standard Chartered Bank, warned.
—Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 17 June 2026
Stein spoke for nearly two minutes about Tepper’s impact on the Carolinas, from his ownership of the Panthers and Charlotte FC to his charitable efforts involving food insecurity, education and Hurricane Helene relief.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for food insecurity
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
In the different sub-categories, Utah has the lowest percentage of smoking adults, and low poverty and food insecurity rates.
—Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 21 June 2026
The El Niño weather phenomenon also has the potential to exacerbate the impact of food insecurity, Razia Khan, chief economist for Africa at Standard Chartered Bank, warned.
—Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 17 June 2026
Stein spoke for nearly two minutes about Tepper’s impact on the Carolinas, from his ownership of the Panthers and Charlotte FC to his charitable efforts involving food insecurity, education and Hurricane Helene relief.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for food insecurity
Cite this Entry
“Food insecurity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/food%20insecurity. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
