The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic impacted socio-economic stability and food systems in the U.S. and worldwide. To better understand food access challenges and needs of those significantly impacted by the pandemic, an online survey was distributed in the San Francisco Bay Area from August to November of 2020. A total of 726 participants completed the survey who were recruited through paid Facebook ads and community partners outreach. This report features key results from the survey regarding changes in food security rates, food access challenges, and coping strategies used during the pandemic. Some of the key findings include: 1) There was a 63% increase (from 20 to 33%) in food insecurity since the pandemic started, with Hispanics, households with children, and those experiencing any job disruption most disproportionately affected, 2) More than 1 in 5 respondents newly started using food assistance since the pandemic; use of food pantries was the most common, with its use doubling since prior to the pandemic, and 3) Financial support and improving trust in the safety of stores, food, and delivery services were identified as helpful strategies to meet food needs.
Pignotti, G., Dougan, M., Tablas-Mejia, I., Telias, A., Gounden, A. “Food Insecurity and Food Access during COVID-19 in the San Francisco Bay Area.” College of Health and Human Sciences, San Jose State University, March 2021.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License