The USDA recommends that individuals spend at least 280.95 a month on average to afford economic, healthy meals. Per USDA statistics, 10% of a household’s salary should be invested in order to purchase these meals comfortably, estimating that an income of 33,714 USD is necessary. In the context of New York City’s 196 neighborhoods, 82 of them make an average median income less than this threshold. In these neighborhoods, more than 225,000 people are dependent on some kind of food assistance program in order to comfortably afford meals. Though this encompasses only 2.5% of people in the city, the number is still fairly large– greater than the populations of cities such as Yonkers and Richmond. Food insecurity makes individuals more prone to malnutrition, resulting in increased risks of high blood pressure, diabetes and other diet-related health problems.

Admittedly, this only scratches the surface– there are far more variables that encompass what makes a neighborhood food insecure. Biting the Big Apple will go through a comprehensive deep dive of New York City’s food insecurity, elaborating what food insecurity is in the context of NYC, where food insecurity is most prevalent, why it is important to address food insecurity, what does food insecurity look like, and how food insecurity can be tackled throughout the city.