Actions We Can Take to Improve Food Security

Let’s clarify some things when we’re talking about food.

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While many residents of San Diego County take food for granted, as many as one in three San Diegans (that’s one million of us) have a relationship with food that is dominated by scarcity according to the San Diego Hunger Coalition. When you don’t have enough money to provide food for yourself or your family, making purchasing decisions based on whether food is organic, local, or how many miles it’s traveled might seem irrelevant or insensitive. At the same time, each of us have personal lived experiences that influence food preferences including race, ethnicity, and family background.

Food can be a source of gratification, entertainment, or even status. Consumer culture turns food into a commodity and sometimes even an obsession. The companies with the largest advertising budgets encourage us to eat highly processed foods, whose ingredients, supply chains, and labor practices raise many questions when we stop to think about it.

Edible Communities publications across North America are dedicated to exploring beyond the sound bite and pretty food picture. Covid and climate change are drawing more attention to where our food comes from and how regular access to food is much more vulnerable and inequitable than we thought.

To learn more, the San Diego Hunger Coalition and the San Diego Food System Alliance are local organizations that have extensive information about food security in our region.

3 Inspiring Nonprofits Working to Share More Local Food

Project New Village
Olivewood Gardens
I Love to Glean

Resources for Food Assistance in San Diego County

San Diego County Hunger Relief Guide