In late March 2020, an image of a mile-long caravan of cars leading up to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank went viral on social media and in national media outlets. The image captured people lining up—some for five hours ahead of schedule—for an emergency food distribution. The distribution happened at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down the country, leaving many people without their usual paychecks. The image was a striking example of the number of people dealing with food insecurity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has not only been a health crisis but has revealed just how vulnerable food-insecure people are. When people lost income because of business closures, they became unable to afford life’s basic necessities like rent or mortgage payments and food. People who may have already been experiencing food insecurity had an even more difficult time once the pandemic began. But food insecurity—not having ready access to enough affordable, nutritious food—was a problem before COVID-19 halted regular life.
Audrey J. Murrell, PhD
Years ago, during research about food insecurity, Audrey J. Murrell, PhD, acting dean, University Honors College, and professor of business administration, College of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh, realized quickly that no standard definition or measure of it existed. She and colleagues developed the Food Abundance Index, a data-driven tool that provides consistency in terms of defining and measuring food insecurity. It can be used as a scorecard to evaluate the effectiveness of different food interventions and, in turn, to better help people. The index includes five categories to measure food insecurity—access, affordability, diversity, quality and density—because food insecurity is not only about living near a grocery store or being able to afford food.
“Food insecurity is multidimensional,” says Dr. Murrell, who is also professor of psychology, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, and of public and international affairs, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. “People ask why we can’t just put a grocery store in a neighborhood that needs one. But can everyone afford the food inside it? Does it supply people with healthy and culturally appropriate food? What if the grocery store closes—then what? We made the Food Abundance Index in a way so that doing basic, foundational things—like putting a grocery store in a food-insecure community—doesn’t define ‘abundance’ for a neighborhood or community. People have a basic human right to access food. Doing the bare minimum isn’t innovative; it’s insufficient.”
Dr. Murrell encourages seeing food insecurity as a resilience issue—for people, their neighborhoods, cities and the food system. How can we build the capacity of a particular community to not only have food abundance but to be able to sustain abundance over time—especially in times of crisis like a global pandemic?
“The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how vulnerable our food-supply chain is,” says Dr. Murrell. “Food service companies and grocery store chains were disrupted. We saw farmers having to literally destroy produce and waste milk because their products couldn’t get to people who needed them. When the supply chain is disrupted, we see price gouging. People then can’t afford the food to which they do have access. We need resilience in the food-supply chain.”
Dr. Murrell also spotlights how the pandemic has forced a change in the public’s perception of who is considered an essential worker.
“For the very first time, grocery store employees, food transportation workers and people delivering food are being seen as essential workers,” she says. “Jobs in the food-supply chain and the food system, particularly at the lower levels, are dominated by women and people of color. If that’s the case, then they ought to get paid as and get the health benefits of essential workers.”
According to Dr. Murrell, seeing food as social, economic and environmental sustainability issues creates resilience in our food systems. An updated version of her Food Abundance Index is being developed by the nonprofit organization Food21 (https://www.food21.org) and will have data about these issues.
When asked what people can do, in addition to donating to or volunteering at food banks, Dr. Murrell says people can purchase from local suppliers, which people rely on when national food-supply chains break down, and use their voices to advocate for people who are food insecure, food service workers and farmers.
“Food isn’t a luxury; it’s a human right,” says Dr. Murrell. “We should all bear the responsibility of being advocates for building resilient food systems regardless of where we live, what we look like or how much money we make. If we can’t do that, we can’t survive as a community, city or nation. The COVID-19 crisis has really made us pay attention to where the inequities are in our communities. If you’ve turned a blind eye to it before, you can’t now.”
THE GREATER PITTSBURGH FOOD BANK held one of its food drives outside PPG Paints Arena on April 10, as hundreds of cars lined the streets to receive the offerings. (Photo by Courier photographer J.L. Martello)
About Post Author
