More than 40% of Tennessee parents report food insecurity amid high prices

More than 40% of Tennessee parents in a newly-released poll reported low or very low food security, marking a jump from 31% reported the previous year.

The annual poll, released Wednesday, was conducted by the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy from Nov. 3-28 last year. It included 1,034 Tennessee parents with children under 18. It asked questions about food security and changes in spending due to high food prices.

More than 70% of the parents polled said they'd changed their food spending habits because of higher food prices. Among those who said they changed food spending habits, 29% said that includes parents skipping meals. Other habit changes included:

• 69% said they stopped or reduced the frequency of eating out
• 68% changed the types of food they eat or cook
• 61% changed where they buy groceries
• 2.3% said children skipped meals

“This significant increase in low food security is alarming for the health of Tennessee children, who rely on adequate nutrition to grow and develop to their full potential,” Dr. Cristin Fritz, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, said in a news release from the center. “During the pandemic, Congress acted to provide additional supports for families. Now that these supports have ended, families are struggling to afford enough food.”

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Fritz also said that food insecurity puts kids at risk for physical issues like obesity, hypertension and diabetes, along with mental issues like anxiety and depression.

The poll data also revealed a few other key details, including:

• 51% of Black parents reported low to very low food security, compared to 38% of white parents
• 45% of parents in East Tennessee reported low or very low food security, compared to 44% in West Tennessee and 38% in Middle Tennessee
• Over 50% of all parents said they did not receive any type of assistance in the last week, or in the last 12 months, despite reports of low food security and soaring grocery prices

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The news release also noted a previous poll that showed 9 in 10 Tennessee parents are in favor of free school lunches for all children.

“Hunger among Tennessee children is a solvable problem,” Dr. Stephen Patrick, who directs the Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy, said in the release. “The rapid increase in food insecurity among Tennessee families with children should be a call to action for all of us. No child should go hungry in our state.”