How Are Food Security and Insecurity Measured?
The food security status of each household lies somewhere along a continuum extending from high food security to very low food security. This continuum is divided into four ranges, characterized as follows: • High food security—Households had no problems, or anxiety about, consistently accessing adequate food. • Marginal food security—Households had problems at times, or anxiety about, accessing adequate food, but the quality, variety, and quantity of their food intake were not substantially reduced. • Low food security—Households reduced the quality, variety, and desirability of their diets, but the quantity of food intake and normal eating patterns were not substantially disrupted. • Very low food security—At times during the year, eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and food intake reduced because the household lacked money and other resources for food. USDA introduced the above labels for ranges of food security in 2006. See “Hunger and Food Security” fo
