Insecure

Chicago is loved for its deep-dish pizza and diverse culinary options, but people don’t realize how common food insecurity is in the city. The Food Empowerment Project reported that over 500K Chicagoans live in food deserts, and are found in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

One in five Chicago households faces food insecurity, and the rates are rising. In The Greater Chicago Food Depository’s  2022 hunger status report, the “crisis of inequity” affects Black and Latino families at double the rate of White households. 26% of Black households and 24% of Latino households are affected by food inequality, compared to only 11% of White households.

Zip code 60621, Englewood, consists of 92% Black households, and “has the second-highest food insecurity rate and lowest income per capita,” (I Grow Chicago). While zip codes 60610 and 60611, Near North Side, has 70% White residents that live within a half-mile of at least one grocery store.

Overall, Chicago neighborhoods with lower incomes reported the highest rates of food insecurity. For these neighborhoods, Near North Side has a per capita income of $88,669, while Englewood’s is $11,888 (Chicago Data Portal).

According to the CDC, the main factors found in families affected by food insecurity were low income, single parents, or crowded households. Kennedy Frey, a junior psychology student from the South Side, faced all three of these problems.

Living in a household of seven, with only one working adult, they ran a tight budget. “In high school, there was rarely food at home that I could bring for lunch,” Frey shares. “A lot of the time I would just get a bag of chips or whatever I could find in the vending machines.”

One cause is the journey to the stores. Food transportation barriers leave some individuals having to pay multiple fares to transfer from bus to train, taking more money out of their pocket. Some adults who are older or have disabilities may not be able to travel far, preventing them from shopping. 

For Frey, the closest grocery store was a 45-minute walk from their home. “If I was hungry and there was no food at home, I just had to wait till mom came home…If I was real desperate, I’d use the birthday money I saved to order food. It was never a real meal though.” 

Difficulty accessing local grocery stores causes many Chicagoans to resort to the easier option; fast food. Many of the Chicago neighborhoods considered food deserts have an abundance of fast food options and convenience stores rather than grocery stores. 

Fast food can be a more affordable option to get the calories we need, but these highly processed foods lack nutrition. 

Diets make a large impact on one's health. Eating too much fast food or unbalanced meals can cause long-term effects. Two years ago Frey was diagnosed with pre-diabetes due to her diet, which is not uncommon.

Certain ZIP codes, like 60621, and Englewood, can predict health conditions and premature death rates from high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Each of these health disparities can aggravate the other. 

At the root of it, the CDC, calls obesity a “major problem” in Chicago. In the last two decades, Chicago’s obesity rate has increased by 30% leaving 62% of adults and 36% of high-school students obese in the Chicagoland area.

Obesity rates are double the average in Black neighborhoods. In Englewood specifically, 41% of the residents are classified as obese.

Things like weight and high blood pressure can cause insulin resistance resulting in diabetes. In Englewood, about 12% of the residents were diagnosed with diabetes and 42% suffered hypertension in the last year. Comparatively, Near North Side only 3.6% were diagnosed as diabetic, according to The Chicago Health Atlas.

If the blood sugar gets too high it can damage blood vessels, leading to cardiovascular disease. Heart disease has remained the leading cause of death in Chicago and Englewood, while diabetes ranked eighth. 

Certain areas of Chicago are facing health consequences because they weren’t given the resources they need to survive. Nutritious meals are necessary for our city to be healthy, but it’s a wide-scale problem. 

The CDC has been working toward food insecurity. They promote the implementation of “comprehensive school-based policies and practices,” to make Chicago Public Schools a “healthier environment,” by teaching about healthy diets, nutrition, and exercise.

One solution is helping fund the development of nutritious and affordable grocery stores throughout the city. Another is implementing a mandatory screening question at hospitals and clinics about food insecurity. Lastly, hospitals could supply more patients with resources for SNAP benefits, food pantries, and food delivery services.

Chicago’s food inequality is costing the lives of its residents, but hopefully, with the continuation of organizations' support, they can help alleviate the diet-related health disparities.