Running head: Policy Brief Paper Regarding Food Insecurity Among

Policy Brief Paper Regarding Food Insecurity Among College Students In The CSU System

Giovanna Lopez, Champagne Moore, and Ana Quintana

HSCI 660D

Dr. Nicole Henley

California State University, San Bernardino

June 11th, 2019

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Executive Summary

According to the Healthy People 2020 initiative, food insecurity is defined as the disruption

of food intake or eating patterns due to lack of money and other resources (Food Insecurity., n.d.).

However, the food insecurity definition exhibits a high level of subjectivity, meaning that food

insecurity is often associated with the individual's well-being and the individual's perception of

what it means to be food insecure. Moreover, the United States Department of Agriculture defines

the hierarchy of food insecurity as a pyramid that demonstrates the severity of food insecurity an

individual may have (Measurement, 2018). It is important to note that an individual may have

access to food and still be considered food insecure; this can occur due to the lack of healthy food

options surrounding the student’s community.

At the top of the hierarchy of food insecurity, Food Security, refers to an individual who is

not experiencing problems or anxiety in accessing quality food options. An individual can

experience Marginal Food Security, which describes an instance of occasional concern about

accessing quality food but has not reduced their food intake. The third tier of the hierarchy

represents the situation of Having Low Food Security, where an individual has reduced access to

quality foods and presents with few signs of reduced food intake. The final tier named Very Low

Food Security describes the experiencing of multiple instances of food disruptions, and the

reduction of food at each meal (Measurement, 2018). These hierarchical tiers of food security are

critical to understanding and to be taken into consideration when proposing policies that will target

all food-insecure populations.

There exists a significant correlation between an individual's socioeconomic status and the

statistical likelihood of obtaining a higher education. Today, the students from face additional

barriers that prohibit them from thriving in a university setting – the rise in tuition costs and food
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prices have made students susceptible to the realities of food insecurity. In the California State

University (CSU) system, 41% of CSU students face one of the three levels of food insecurity.

The majority of students who were food insecure reported having merger food security (Maguire,

J., & Crutchfield, R. 2018). As a result, the state of California enacted the Basic Needs Initiative

to provide a framework for all CSU campuses to assist students who are food insecure and lack

proper housing access.

Through the implementation of the Basic Needs Initiative, most CSU campuses created

food pantries, and emergency food locations for students are food insecure. Unfortunately, the

Basic Needs Initiative fails to provide students with complete support toward reliving their food

insecurity situation. For example, it fails to provide nutritional education courses that could teach

students about how to choose healthier food options and to provide adequate resources to each

campus.

We recommend facilitating increase access to food pantries through the allocation of

funding to all CSU campuses to hire full-time staff to manage and increase hours of operation to

7 days a week hours for the food pantry, creating on-campus gardens, and nutritional education

resources to name a few. Unfortunately, today, many on-campus food pantries are only for

particular days a week and for short periods. Improved allocation of monetary funds among the 23

CSU’s and the creation of on-campus gardens can help decrease the number of CSU students who

are food insecure. As well, we recommend a revaluation of federal poverty level limits for

households so that it be reflective of the current cost of living, which would increase the SNAP

benefits and federal and state cash aid students would be eligible to receive. Research must be

initiated on exploring the extent and trends of food insecurity among college students on state and

national levels to improve the lives of the nation's students.

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Context and Importance of the Problem

The CSU system is composed of 23 individual campuses and serves approximately 484

thousand students. Their system is considered the most extensive educational institutional network

in the nation that services the most ethnically, economically, and academically diverse students

(Crutchfield & Maguire, 2018). Moreover, the detail is vital in its alignment with the CSU system’s

mission to provide high-quality and affordable education to all students that meet the ever-

changing needs of the state of California (Crutchfield & Maguire, 2018).

Although the mission statement aims to provide affordable education, it fails to do so, since

41.6% of CSU students reported facing food insecurity in 2018. Food insecurity placed them in

the position of choosing between their next meal and advancing their education (Crutchfield &

Maguire, 2018 & Humboldt State University, 2018). Furthermore, according to Guzman-Lopez

(2016), one in four CSU students were food insecure, which translated to 25% of the entire CSU

student body being food insecure at any given moment, which is an increase from previous years.

These statistics alone prove that food insecurity has become a significant and prevalent concern in

recent years, which requires immediate policy changes and evaluation of how the rising

educational and living expenses directly influence the food security of students (Guzman-Lopez,

2016).

Students that experience food insecurity is predominantly from the most vulnerable

populations, such as minority, first-generation LGBTQ communities, and former foster youth

groups (Humboldt State University, 2018). This statistical reality implies that students that come

from low-income backgrounds are more likely to be food insecure in college. Low food security

has been associated with a higher risk for lower academic performance and adverse health

outcomes (Crutchfield & Maguire, 2018). Students that suffer from hunger have been proven to
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have lower grades, low-class participation, and low attendance. Also, food insecurity is associated

with adverse health outcomes, which include headaches, mental health problems, low energy, and

trouble concentrating at school and home. Combating these adverse health outcomes will

significantly increase the academic performance of CSU students.

Although there have already been policies put in place to prevent food insecurity on college

campuses, additional effective and strategic policies can be implemented to improve the

performance of CSU students and to eliminate their chances of being food insecure and hungry.

Each CSU campus has an emergency grant or fund that can be used to provide financial assistance

for students in need. All 23 CSU campuses currently offer a food pantry or some food distribution

program to help students obtain food in a time of need (Crutchfield & Maguire, 2018). Some of

the campuses accept Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) and participate in the Restaurant Meals

Program (RMP), which allows for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars to

be used to purchase hot food on campus (Crutchfield & Maguire, 2018). It is surprising that with

these programs and policies in place, the percentage of hunger in CSU college students has still

risen over the years. Even though these programs have been beneficial to the CSU attending

students, they do not seem to do enough to eradicate the issue of food insecurity amongst college

students.

Critique of Policy Options

Although the Basic Needs initiative provides resources for students facing food insecurity,

the program fails to provide nutritional education resources for its students. Students who are

categorized as experiencing marginal food security or low food security are more likely to make

poor dietary choices because of their lack of nutrition education. These students often become

reliant on frozen meals found in the pantry, especially during their first year away from home
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(Abraham, S., Noriega, B. R., & Shin, J. Y. ,2018). Without these nutritional and educational

resources, students may continue to misuse the resources provided for them and therefore remain

food insecure. If nutrition education classes were incorporated as part of the food pantry, students

would be able to apply this knowledge and therefore make better food choices.

The CSU’s Basic Needs Initiative also lacks a fundamental structure. Every CSU offers

different resources, some more than others. One of the downfalls about the creation of the

Universities food pantries was the lack of faculty and staff to operate these pantries (Southern

California Public Radio, 2016). Some food pantries were only open a few times a week for minimal

hours. Universities, like the Channel Islands, had limited food resources and therefore required

students to fill out an extensive application to receive a bag of food. Other schools, much like The

Den at CSU San Bernardino, allow all students to receive food with no need for extensive

documentation. The Basic Needs Initiative should set requirements for all CSU food pantries to

provide an equal, easily accessible opportunity for all students.

Moreover, when discussing food pantry accessibility, California State University, Chico,

Northridge, Pomona, and San Bernardino offered the most help to their students. They often

provided vouchers that allow their students to receive free meals on campus. CSU campuses in

the Channel Islands, Fullerton, Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, and Sonoma offered the least help to

students who were food insecure (Southern California Public Radio, 2016). Although the Basic

Needs initiative provides funding for all schools, this policy failed to consider how food pantry

establishments operate at every university. Some university food pantries are more accessible than

others. Lack of food pantry accessibility may affect the student population’s health and their

endeavors at their university. The Basic Needs Initiative should distribute resources accordingly
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to the needs of every school. Every university's food pantry should be readily available for all

students.

Policy Recommendations

Since the conception of the United States of America, the United States government has

had the responsibility to ensure that the rights of its citizens are protected and not burdened by

others. The US Constitution declares that each has the unalienable rights to “life, liberty, and the

pursuit of happiness.” Students of color and low-income backgrounds are statistically unlikely to

obtain a higher education due to a series of barriers that still exist today, including social

determinants of health. When students find themselves in the difficult situation of having to go

without nutritious meals or skip them altogether, the government is directly failing to protect the

quality of life and pursuit of happiness of their students and their families. Moreover, when that

student lacks basic needs to survive, such as food and water, and is under significant amounts of

stress, their academic, emotional, and mental health will fumble.

Many will find these challenges substantial and, ultimately, an impediment to obtaining a

higher education. Thus, when one more student drops-out of college, their career options, and

overall life financial expectancy of their offsprings plunges. Therefore, the government must

ensure that educational institutions across the country are providing the highest amounts of

opportunities to students, in particular, those from vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds, the

likelihood to succeed.

The educational success of each student is not just a legal obligation for the government, but

a financially and criminally sound one. Poverty has threatened the livelihood, health, and economic

stability of an individual and nation. Poverty directly influences the rate of societal crime, national

medical costs, spending habits of its citizens, and overall influential power of its government.
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Therefore, it is in the best interest of the country, to consider the implications their uneducated

populations have in the present and future of their countries.

We suggest the following policy recommendations to tackle the food poverty situation

among California State University’s student population. First, to allocate monetary funds of 45

million dollars to be divided among all CSU campuses over ten years. The funds would be used to

hire two full-time support staff to manage food pantries, seek out additional donors, increase the

awareness of food security among staff and faculty, increase student access to fresh produce, and

canned foods by increasing pantry hours of operation to seven days a week. Moreover, funding

will be used to allocate land to develop on-campus gardens, plant various types of fruit trees all

over campus, maintain a full-time gardener on staff, and provide nutritional educational resources.

CSU campuses such as Fresno, Northridge, San Bernardino, and San Jose already have success

with on-campus gardens.

The presence and student accessibility to a variety of fruit trees throughout campus provide

another way for students never to go hungry. It will not matter if the pantry was closed for the day

or if a student feels ashamed or uncomfortable to take advantage of campus pantry services, there

will be 24-hour access to a fruit tree throughout the year to pick. Second, revaluation of federal

poverty level limits for households must be updated and increased to be reflective of the actual

costs of living. The increase would directly increase the federal and state cash aid students receive,

also, to raise the SNAP monthly benefits for students and their families.

As the sixth-largest global economy, California is a leader in innovation, and demanding

inalienable human rights are paramount to its legislation and societal frameworks. It is, therefore,

shocking and unacceptable that 41% of its California State University student body reported being

food insecure. It is the responsibility of the United States government to hold California and its
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fellow states accountable for food insecurity among its educational institutions. Policy

recommendations mentioned above are beginning to address food insecurity among California

students and enhance existing programs and influencing the food insecurity crisis among

California State University students.

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References

Abraham, S., Noriega, B. R., & Shin, J. Y. (2018). College students eating habits and knowledge

of nutritional requirements. Retrieved from:

http://www.alliedacademies.org/articles/college-students-eating-habits-and-knowledge-

of-nutritional-requirements-9188.html

Crutchfield, R., & Maguire, J. (2018). Study Of Student Basic Needs. 53. Retrieved from

https://www2.calstate.edu/impact-of-the-csu/student-success/basic-needs-

initiative/Documents/BasicNeedsStudy_phaseII_withAccessibilityComments.pdf

CSU Basic Needs Flyer. (2019). Retrieved from https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-

system/news/Documents/10487-Basic-Needs-Flyer.pdf

CSU 2018 Fact Book(Rep.). (2018).

Food Insecurity. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-

objectives/topic/social-determinants-health/interventions-resources/food-insecurity

Guzman-Lopez, A. (2016, February 26, Nearly 1 in 4 Cal State students go hungry, a new report

says. Retrieved from Southern California Public Radio website:

https://www.scpr.org/news/2016/02/26/57993/new-report-nearly-one-out-of-four-cal-

state-studen/

Humboldt State University. (2018, April 18). An Unprecedented Look at CSU Students' Food

and Housing Insecurity - Humboldt State Now. Retrieved from

http://now.humboldt.edu/news/an-unprecedented-look-at-csu-students-food-and-housing-

insecurity/

Measurement. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-

assistance/food-security-in-the-us/measurement.aspx
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Southern California Public Radio. (2016, November 16). 1 in 4 Cal State students go hungry, a

new report says. Retrieved from https://www.scpr.org/news/2016/02/26/57993/new-

report-nearly-one-out-of-four-cal-state-studen/

What Is Food Insecurity in America? (2019). Retrieved from

https://hungerandhealth.feedingamerica.org/understand-food-insecurity/