food insecurity

[food in-si-kyoor-i-tee]

noun

1. an economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.

Other Word Forms

• food insecure, food-insecure adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of food insecurity¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

But the report predicted a "deterioration" in the situation in the coming months, with 5.91 million people expected to face high levels of acute food insecurity.

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Hunger was climbing even before these changes — food insecurity ticked up in 2022 and again in 2023, according to the USDA’s own reports.

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There were also interviews conducted with people who had and hadn't visited food banks but were identified as facing "food insecurity".

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He said he set up the charity in 2020 during the pandemic to help provide relief for people struggling with food poverty and food insecurity.

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Last week, a UN-backed body, which monitors hunger levels around the world, raised its food insecurity status in parts of Gaza to the highest and most severe - confirming famine for the first time.

Read more on BBC