A trip to the grocery store can tell you a lot about what’s changed about the cost of everyday life. The same staples take up less of your cart and more of your budget, while the things that once felt routine start to feel negotiable.
Maybe you switch brands, buy less than you planned or decide something can wait until next week.
For some households, those choices have become part of keeping food on the table. When groceries compete with housing and other basic needs, they may not be an easy expense to cut. There are just harder decisions to make.
That growing pressure was at the center of the Expert Voices event that focused on food insecurity. Anti-hunger advocates, food bank leaders and community partners came together to talk about why more people are feeling the strain and what it will take to respond.
What’s Changing About Hunger in Arizona
Higher food and living costs are only part of what’s changing hunger in Arizona. Programs that help families buy food are changing, too, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). New federal rules could change how often people need to prove they still qualify and how much states have to pay. In Arizona, that could mean up to $300 million in annual SNAP costs will be cut if its error rate stays above the federal limit.
That could put even more pressure on food banks and other groups that help people get food. Food banks are already dealing with higher costs and more demand. It costs more to purchase food, store food and get it to the people who need it.
Did you know?
More than 1.1 million Arizonans experience food insecurity, including more than 327,000 children.
When it gets harder to get enough healthy food, the effects can reach beyond the dinner table and into your overall health.
Food Connects Directly to Health
Food insecurity can shape your health in ways that are easy to miss at first. When costs are driving more of your food choices, it can be harder to eat in a way that supports your health or follows the advice you may be getting from a doctor.
That can show up in different ways:
- Blood sugar can be harder to manage.
Diabetes care often depends on eating regular meals and balancing carbohydrates throughout the day. If you have to eat less than planned or rely on whatever food is available, your blood sugar can be harder to keep steady. - Nutrition can take a back seat to affordability.
Foods that cost less and last longer may help stretch a grocery budget, but they may also be higher in sodium, added sugar or saturated fat. Over time, that can make it harder to get the nutrients your body needs. - Health risks can build over time.
Food insecurity has been linked to a higher risk of chronic conditions including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. An inconsistent diet can later make it harder to support your health and lower those risks.
Knowing that food insecurity can affect your health raises another question: what does meaningful food access look like?
Access to Food is Only the First Step
You find a food bank a few miles from home but then you realize it closes before you get off work. Maybe another location is open later, but getting there means finding a ride or spending money on gas you were already trying to save.
That’s the difference between food being available and food being accessible. A resource can exist in your community and still be difficult to use if the timing or location doesn’t fit into your day, especially when that day is already asking plenty of you.
Sometimes the hurdle starts before you ever leave home. Applying for benefits may mean finding the right documents or figuring out requirements that have changed. If the information is confusing or hard to find, getting help can take even longer. The food itself also has to work for you, whether you’re managing health condition or trying to feed your household in a way that feels familiar.
That’s why access to food is only the first step. The goal is to not only have food somewhere nearby but to make sure it’s truly within reach for the people who need it.
How Arizona’s Food Network Responds to Changing Needs
Arizona doesn’t rely on one food bank to serve the whole state. Food banks and local groups work in different areas across the state. This helps them focus on what people in their own communities need.
For example, in a rural area, getting to a food pantry may be the biggest challenge. In another community, more families may need help because rent or other costs have gone up. Local organizations can see those changes sooner and adjust how they help.
The Expert Voices event brought together groups that support different parts of the food-support system. Some focus on getting food into communities, while others work on health, housing or other basic needs. When local groups share what they are seeing, they can better understand where the biggest gaps are and where more help may be needed.
That’s why conversations like this one matter. As Executive Director of the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation, I’ve seen how much we can learn when people working on the same issue have the chance to hear from one another.
Looking Ahead
Food insecurity is not new, but the pressures around it keep changing. At the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation, we’ve seen how health can be affected when basic needs are harder to meet. Food, oral health, vision and overall well-being are closely connected, and it becomes much harder to support one part of a person’s health when another part is under strain.
That connection gives us a clearer path forward. Luckily, Arizona already has food banks, health organizations and community groups doing this work across the state, and there is a strong base to build from. We’re committed to being part of that work and to supporting efforts that help more Arizonans live healthier lives.
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This blog is part of the Expert Voices series. This series brings together leaders in health and wellness to talk about problems and solutions to improve communities. In this event, food banks, health organizations and community groups from across Arizona came together to discuss what’s driving food insecurity and where there may be opportunities to strengthen support. Watch the recap of the discussion here. For more information about Expert Voices, contact Barb Kozuh at bkozuh@deltadentalaz.com.
