This volume of The Reference Shelf looks at America’s food economy and food inequality. Though America is the world’s wealthiest nation and has some of the most productive agricultural land in the world, it still has a serious problem with food availability and hunger. Research indicates that around 11 percent of American households struggle to obtain enough food, or quality foods, each year and 5.6 million households suffer from low access to enough food, or high-quality foods. This is not only a problem for the homeless and destitute, but also for the underemployed, college students, children, and the elderly in many parts of the country, and obesity, depression, asthma, and problems performing at work or in school are associated with not having enough to eat. This volume looks at why this problem persists in America as well as investigates the underlying causes, racial and ethnic disparities, and potential solutions to this long-standing and increasingly severe American crisis.

This volume begins with a preface; an overview of the topic including explanation of the state of America’s food crisis, as well as the deeper issues helping create the problem and food inequality outside of the United States. Also covered in this volume is the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity in America. Food Insecurity & Hunger in the United States includes articles, documents, and other literary works that fall into five topics:

1. Poverty, Unemployment, and Underemployment
2. Supplementing Nutrition
3. Finding Food
4. The World's Problem
5. Finding Solutions

Together, this information provides thoughtful, comprehensive coverage of food insecurity and how it has come to be such an important and pressing issue in modern times.