Got Milk? Food Insecurity in a Dairyland Community

Abstract

Though local food assistance sites in a Wisconsin community report increases in use of their services, the amount of food insecurity clients experience was not known. Therefore, the extent of food insecurity was measured using the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) “Guide to Measuring Household Food Insecurity.” A purposive convenience sample of 165 individuals seeking food assistance at local food banks and meal sites was surveyed and asked questions about hunger in their households. The results demonstrated that clients of food banks experienced higher levels of food insecurity and were more likely to lack calcium-rich foods and vitamin C in their diets than those seeking assistance at meal sites. Because this study was conducted in Wisconsin, America's Dairyland, a lack of calcium-rich foods was an especially surprising finding.