The United States Department of Agriculture defines food unsecurity as the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food, or the ability to acquire such food, is limited or uncertain for a household.
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Fifty million Americans, one in five children, go to bed and awaken hungry (Hunger and Food Insecurity, 2011). Children that eat a nutritious breakfast and lunch are better able to concentrate on learning. Many American children start their school day out with a good breakfast. A nutritious breakfast is a central feature of a diet that meets the needs of children and supports healthy growth and development (Whitney et al., 2007). The children that live in food insecure homes may eat unhealthy foods or even skip breakfast altogether missing valuable nutrients. When constantly hungry the inability to focus on learning can and usually does lead to lower grades. These nutrient deficiencies also lead to behavioral issues such as anger, irritable, hyperactive and depression (Whitney et al., 2007). The cognitive ability of food insecure children is generally lower. If the poorer overall school performance continues over many years, that child may drop out of school all together. Over the years, schools have tried to meet the needs of these students. The National School Lunch Program, established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946, is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential childcare institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low cost or free lunches to children each school day. …show more content…
M., Frongillo, E. A., & Briefel, R. R. (2001). Food Insufficiency, Family Income, And Health In US Preschool And School-aged Children. American Journal of Public Health, 91(5), 781-786.
Berryman, L. (2009, November 24). Hungry in America: New Food Insecurity Numbers Are A Wake Up Call. PBS. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/us/july-dec09/hunger_11-24.html
Ending Childhood Hunger by 2015 « Food Research & Action Center. (n.d.). Food Research Action Center Ending Childhood Hunger by 2015 Comments. Retrieved November 4, 2013, from http://frac.org/initiatives/ending-child-hunger-by-2015/
Fram, M. S., Frongillo, E. A., Jones, S. J., Williams, R. C., DeLoach, K. P., Burke, M. P., et al. (2011). Children Are Aware of Food Insecurity and Take Responsibility for Managing Food Resources. The Journal of Nutrition, 141( 6 1114-1119), 1114-1119. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from http://jn.nutrition.org/content/141/6/1114.full.pdf+html
Hunger & Poverty Statistics. (n.d.). Feeding America. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from
Fifty million Americans, one in five children, go to bed and awaken hungry (Hunger and Food Insecurity, 2011). Children that eat a nutritious breakfast and lunch are better able to concentrate on learning. Many American children start their school day out with a good breakfast. A nutritious breakfast is a central feature of a diet that meets the needs of children and supports healthy growth and development (Whitney et al., 2007). The children that live in food insecure homes may eat unhealthy foods or even skip breakfast altogether missing valuable nutrients. When constantly hungry the inability to focus on learning can and usually does lead to lower grades. These nutrient deficiencies also lead to behavioral issues such as anger, irritable, hyperactive and depression (Whitney et al., 2007). The cognitive ability of food insecure children is generally lower. If the poorer overall school performance continues over many years, that child may drop out of school all together. Over the years, schools have tried to meet the needs of these students. The National School Lunch Program, established under the National School Lunch Act, signed by President Harry Truman in 1946, is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential childcare institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low cost or free lunches to children each school day. …show more content…
M., Frongillo, E. A., & Briefel, R. R. (2001). Food Insufficiency, Family Income, And Health In US Preschool And School-aged Children. American Journal of Public Health, 91(5), 781-786.
Berryman, L. (2009, November 24). Hungry in America: New Food Insecurity Numbers Are A Wake Up Call. PBS. Retrieved November 21, 2013, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/us/july-dec09/hunger_11-24.html
Ending Childhood Hunger by 2015 « Food Research & Action Center. (n.d.). Food Research Action Center Ending Childhood Hunger by 2015 Comments. Retrieved November 4, 2013, from http://frac.org/initiatives/ending-child-hunger-by-2015/
Fram, M. S., Frongillo, E. A., Jones, S. J., Williams, R. C., DeLoach, K. P., Burke, M. P., et al. (2011). Children Are Aware of Food Insecurity and Take Responsibility for Managing Food Resources. The Journal of Nutrition, 141( 6 1114-1119), 1114-1119. Retrieved October 23, 2013, from http://jn.nutrition.org/content/141/6/1114.full.pdf+html
Hunger & Poverty Statistics. (n.d.). Feeding America. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from