VERY LOW FOOD SECURITY ON THE RISE OVER TIME
Food insecurity is defined as not having consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. It reflects both the quantity and quality of food in a household, as people may decide to go without food or purchase less expensive food, which may be less nutritious. Food insecurity can also cause increased stress, requiring families to choose between food and other essentials such as housing, utilities, transportation, and medical care. People who are food insecure are disproportionally affected by diet-sensitive chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and according to research, food insecurity is also linked to many adverse effects on overall health.[1] For children, research shows an association between food insecurity and delayed development in young children, risk of chronic illnesses like asthma and anemia, and behavioral problems like hyperactivity, anxiety, and aggression in school-age children.[2] This indicator reports data from the national annual food security survey, including both low food security (reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet) and very low food security (food intake is reduced and normal eating patterns are disrupted because the household lacks money and other resources for food).
TREND
Overall, the proportion of the population in the Riverside-San Bernardino metro area with either low food security or very low food security fell between 2023 and 2024. However, over the past five years, despite annual fluctuations, a gradual upward trend in food insecurity can be observed. The five-year trends are more mixed when looking at the two levels of food security. While the five-year trend in the proportion of the population that has low food security is very slightly downward between 2020 and 2024, the proportion with very low food security is trending upward during that time period, from 3.3% to 5.4%.
VERY LOW FOOD SECURITY IN METRO REGION INCREASING SLIGHTLY SINCE 2020
Percent of Residents Experiencing Low and Very Low Food Security in Riverside-San Bernardino, 2020-2024
GEOGRAPHIC COMPARISON
In 2024, a greater proportion of people in the Riverside-San Bernardino metro area were considered to have low (includes low and very low) food security compared to the state and nation.
METRO REGION FOOD INSECURITY HIGHER THAN STATE AND NATION
Percent of Residents Experiencing Low or Very Low Food Security in Riverside-San Bernardino, California, and the United States, 2020-2024
What is it like in a household with very low food security?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture 2024 Food Security Survey, households with very low food insecurity reported experiencing the following conditions (national data):[3]
- 98% reported having worried that their food would run out before they got money to buy more.
- 97% reported that the food they bought just did not last, and they did not have money to get more.
- 95% reported that they could not afford to eat balanced meals.
- 97% reported that an adult had cut the size of his/her meals or skipped meals because there was not enough money for food; 87% reported that this had occurred in 3 or more months of the year.
- 69% of respondents reported that they had been hungry but did not eat because they could not afford enough food.
- 32% reported that an adult did not eat for a whole day because there was not enough money for food; 25% reported that this had occurred in 3 or more months of the year.
[1] Gregory, C. and Coleman-Jensen, A. (2017). Food Insecurity, Chronic Disease, and Health Among Working-Age Adults. [online] United States Department of Agriculture. Available at: https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details?pubid=84466 [Accessed 4 Feb. 2026].
[2] Hill, N. E., Palakshappa, D., & Chua, K. P. (2025). Chronic Conditions and Food Insecurity in US Children. JAMA network open, 8(9), e2533953. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.33953 [Accessed 4 Feb. 2026].
[3] Rabbitt, M.P., Reed-Jones, M., Hales, L.J., Suttles, S., & Burke, M.P. (2025). Household food security in the United States in 2024 (Report No. ERR-358). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.