Addressing College Food Insecurity: An Assessment of Federal Legislation Before and During Coronavirus Disease-2019

• Published in: Journal of nutrition education and behavior Vol. 52; no. 10; pp. 982 - 987
• Main Authors: Laska, Melissa N., Fleischhacker, Sheila, Petsoulis, Christina, Bruening, Meg, Stebleton, Michael J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.10.2020; Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc
• Subjects: behavior; Betacoronavirus; college students; Coronavirus Infections; COVID-19; COVID-19 infection; economic recovery; federal legislation; Food Assistance - legislation & jurisprudence; food insecurity; food security; Food Supply - legislation & jurisprudence; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Humans; Internal Medicine; laws and regulations; nutrition education; pandemic; Pandemics - legislation & jurisprudence; Pneumonia, Viral; policy; SARS-CoV-2; Socioeconomic Factors; Students - legislation & jurisprudence; unemployment; United States; Universities; United States; food insecurity; college students; federal legislation; food security; policy
• ISSN: 1499-4046; 1878-2620; 1878-2620
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2020.07.001

Research conducted before coronavirus disease-2019 illustrated high rates of food insecurity among college students. The pandemic has likely increased student food insecurity because of factors like unemployment and closure of campus resources, and many students cannot access federal food assistance because of long-standing student restrictions. This perspective reviews federal legislation on college food insecurity introduced in the 116th legislative session (2019–2020) immediately before coronavirus disease-2019 in the US, as well as pandemic-related stimulus bills and their implications for future policies and practice. Food insecurity promises to become more pressing as colleges try to reopen and the country grapples with economic recovery.