A chart published by AARP in 2023 illustrates Michigan residents with food insecurity grouped by age, over 49. (Table courtesy of AARP)

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series that examines the increase in food insecurity in the four-county area, and the impacts the issue is causing.

According to the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA ERS), a food secure household means that every member in that household has continual access to enough food for a healthy lifestyle.

A food insecure household would not have dependable access to the nutritious food necessary to lead a healthy life. They also may need to resort to emergency measures to have enough to eat. However, food insecurity does not necessarily equate to hunger.

 Food insecurity is related to not having quality food access whereas hunger is the poor physical effect resulting from a lack of food, says TrueNorth Community Services. TrueNorth Community Services is an independent, nonprofit human services organization based in Fremont, Michigan.

“Poverty and the cost of living are two of the largest causes of food insecurity and hunger,” TrueNorth states. “These two issues have a number of contributing factors from lack of affordable housing and unemployment to unforeseen emergencies and health concerns. Unfortunately, sometimes all it can take is an unplanned major expense such as needing to replace a car, unexpected surgery or a parent losing a job that can lead to a household becoming food insecure.”

Older adults, including those in the Western Upper Peninsula, are not insulated from food insecurity.

A December 2023 report published by AARP Michigan states that 30% of U.S. households with individuals over 55 have no retirement savings, and roughly half of all low-income older workers have no retirement savings.

“Lack of retirement preparation leads to heavier reliance on social security income, which typically only amounts to 40 percent of employment income for the average 65-year-old,” the report states. “Thus, without adequate retirement savings programs, older populations may be disproportionately more likely to struggle with poverty, food insecurity, and physical and mental health issues.”

AARP says that data on food stamp (SNAP) recipients are recorded and available for geographic analysis of locations where individuals are potentially struggling to meet dietary needs.

In Jan. 2020, Feeding America West Michigan reported that in the United States, as few as 45 percent of eligible seniors are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Many seniors who are enrolled in SNAP don’t receive enough benefits to meet their needs. Others have difficulty making ends meet, but don’t qualify for benefits because they fall above the poverty line.

In January 2022, Feeding America West Michigan reported that those approaching senior age (ages 50-59 in 2022) are expected to face higher rates of food insecurity because their earning years were unstable due to events like the dot-com bubble, the 9/11 downturn, the great recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. The demographic and health trends among these older adults are similar to those for current seniors, but the magnitude is often greater (e.g. 26.6% of disabled older adults are food insecure while only 22.5% of disabled seniors are). As a result, older adults currently experience higher rates of food insecurity. With the senior population expected to grow in the coming decades, trends among older adults provide insight into the future challenges the next generation of seniors may face.

The report goes on to state that by 2050, it is projected that the senior population will comprise around 104 million people age 60 and older. If the current rate of food insecurity among seniors does not change, this would equate to more than 9 million seniors experiencing food insecurity. With food insecurity impacting a variety of factors such as health and nutrition, and as the senior population continues to grow in size, food insecurity is likely to remain a public health challenge for years to come.

In a separate 2022 study, Feeding America reported that seniors with a disability had food insecurity rates over twice the rate of seniors without a disability (15.3% and 6.5%, respectively). Older adults with a disability had rates that were over three times higher than those without a disability (31.2% and 9.3%). Research shows that having a disability is closely associated with an increased chance of beingfood insecure.iv And as seniors age, they may develop disabilities and other health problems that can make accessing groceries and cooking more difficult.

Feeding America West Michigan is one of 200 food banks in Feeding America’s nationwide network. It is one of seven Feeding America member food banks located in Michigan. Feeding America West Michigan serves 40 of Michigan’s 83 counties. Its service area spans from the Indiana border north through the western half of the state and extends throughout the entire Upper Peninsula.