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Revolution Foods and DBL Partners, a venture capital firm committed to enabling social, environmental, and economic improvement, released the key findings of a national poll with 636 respondents about food insecurity in America done by The Generation Lab.
The survey focuses on studying America’s 18- to 24-year-olds and explores awareness and accessibility of food assistance programs, as well as behaviors surrounding food costs. The research reveals that one in five respondents are currently worried about food security for themselves or their families, and when asked to anticipate their situation post-pandemic, their worry heightens to one in three.
The poll suggests access and awareness of affordable, healthy meal options and food assistance vary:
· Nearly one-third of respondents believe it has been harder to access affordable and healthy meal options since the pandemic began
· 60% of respondents are aware of programs available for food assistance; however, only 28% take advantage of free or discounted meal programs
· Only 38% state they do not qualify for free or discounted meal programs, so that leaves an underserved gap (34%) of individuals who either cannot access the programs or are not aware of any
· A little over one-quarter of respondents have received some kind of government assistance for groceries or meals in the past, and of those, 60% are comfortable receiving this assistance. Conversely, 25% are not entirely comfortable with it
According to the study, food cost was a determining factor with regard to meal habits:
· More than one-quarter of respondents rank price, over health, convenience and taste, as the most important factor when choosing what to eat
· As a result of the pandemic, 55% of respondents have taken some measure to conserve financial resources when it comes to their eating habits
· About one in five respondents will still plan to spend less on meals after the pandemic
· The majority of respondents (80%) — especially those with the lowest income — believe healthier meals are more expensive
With these insights and more in mind, Revolution Foods will remain steadfast in its efforts to provide healthy food access to the communities most affected by food insecurity. We have seen great success in our meal programs within the cities we partner with, such as the City of San Jose and New Orleans, before and during the pandemic, and we plan to continue expanding these sustainable models in the future to bring culturally responsive, accessible food to more places.
“DBL Partners has worked alongside Revolution Foods since its inception in 2006, so we have been able to witness the significant impact the company has had on addressing the food insecurity issue within our nation,” said Nancy Pfund, founder and managing partner of DBL Partners. “We observed remarkable success early on in our relationship and remain continually impressed by Revolution Foods’ ability to serve our communities in such a vast assortment of ways when called upon.”
For more information on Revolution Foods’ citywide meal programs, visit https://www.revolutionfoods.com/citywide/
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