Summary
Food insecurity leads to higher health care costs, most likely due to higher incidence of chronic diseases. The estimated health care cost of food insecurity in San Francisco in 2019 was $204.6 million. This study builds on previous reports with the mandate to “identify the populations in the City that are food insecure, that are receiving City food-related services, whether those services address health, racial, geographic, age, or other inequities, and what barriers to food security exist.” Extensive information on food insecurity, poverty, health disparities, and food programs is summarized in the report.
Findings: Some of the report's findings include the following.
- Food insecurity rates among participants of city-funded and community programs are up to 83%, despite participants having received some meals or grocery bags.
- Participants of Human Service Agency’s (HSA) Congregate Meal and Home-Delivered Meal programs had lower food insecurity rates compared to other programs.
Recommendations from two special meetings of the Food Security Task Force focused on advocating for more federal and state support, sustaining local funding, developing food programs and interventions targeted at populations experiencing health disparities, integrating data systems, and improving food coordination between City departments and with community and faith-based organizations and residents experiencing food insecurity.
This study uses 2018–2022 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) data.
