An answer to Latino/Hispanic food insecurities
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EmailBreaking barriers to Hispanic/Latino communities.
Latino/Hispanic communities are considered to have the highest food insecurities compared to other racial and ethnic groups. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), food insecurity is the lack of consistent, dependable, access to enough food for active healthy living. It is critical to address barriers in order to reach under representative communities, such as Latinos/Hispanics.
One common misconception for Latino/Hispanics is that participating in government assistance programs can lead to immigration issues. On the contrary, many Latino/Hispanics do indeed qualify under the Guidance on Non-Citizen Eligibility. Understanding and clearing misconceptions is an important goal for the USDA. The USDA is currently working on a new initiative called "La Mesa Completa (The Complete Table)." The purpose of this effort is to encourage Latino/Hispanics communities to participate in nutrition assistance programming and to cultivate admittance for eligible Latino/Hispanics individuals across the country. Through this effort, USDA wishes to help these communities to have a complete table in the following areas:
- Buying groceries
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Always having breakfast and lunch for children
- National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs
- Making sure kids get enough to eat when school is out
- Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
- Getting nutritious meals and snacks for children and older adults
- Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
- Supporting pregnant women and their kids
- Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC)
As a USDA funded entity, Michigan State University Extension health and nutrition programs aim to educate clients with basic nutrition education. The goal is to help increase the awareness of nutritional wellbeing to individuals throughout the state of Michigan, including Hispanics/Latinos. For further information regarding our program, please contact us at your local county Extension office.
