Francesco Acciai, PhD 1
Aggie J. Yellow Horse, PhD 2
Sarah Martinelli, MS, RD, SNS 1
Anna Josephson, PhD 3
Tom Evans, PhD 4
Punam Ohri-Vachaspati RD, PhD 1

Impacts of COVID-19 on
Food Security in Arizona
Food insecurity has increased among
Arizona households since the beginning
of the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected
employment and food security globally1,2 and in the
United States.3,4 To understand the impacts of COVID-19
on food security in Arizona, a representative survey of
Arizona households was launched online from July 1
to August 10, 2020. This brief provides an overview
of changes in food security rate, perceived worries and
challenges about food security, as well as behavioral
changes and strategies adopted since the pandemic.
Additional briefs from the Arizona survey covering
topics on economic consequences, food access, and
participations in food assistance programs during the
pandemic are also available.5

Food Security
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines
food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough
food for an active, healthy life.6 We measured food
insecurity using the USDA’s validated six-item
household food security survey module.7 Respondents
who answered affirmatively to two or more of the food
insecurity questions were considered food insecure.7
Respondents who were food insecure both in the 12
months prior to the pandemic (March 2019 – March
2020) and since the pandemic (since March 2020)
were classified as persistently food insecure. Those who
were food secure pre-COVID-19 but became food
insecure since the pandemic were classified as newly food
insecure. The food secure category includes households
that were food secure since COVID, regardless of their
food security status prior to the pandemic.

1

1 College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University
2 School of Social Transformation, Arizona State University
3 Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Arizona
4 School of Geography, Development & Environment, University of Arizona

Key Findings
1. Almost one in three (32%) Arizona households
experienced food insecurity since COVID-19—
a 28% increase from the year prior to the
pandemic, when the food insecurity rate
was 25%.
2. Hispanic households, households with children,
and households that experienced a job disruption
were more likely to be both persistently and
newly food insecure.
3. The majority of Arizona households were
worried about food becoming too expensive.
They also expressed concerns about availability
of food, access to food assistance programs, as
well as food safety.
4. Most households reported having changed
some of their food-related habits. Behavioral
changes included spending more time cooking
at home, throwing away less food than normal,
and keeping a two-week supply of groceries in
the household.
5. About one in eight households bought food on
credit (14%), borrowed money from friends and
family for food (12%), and/or received food
from food pantries (13%) during the pandemic.

November 2020

Impacts of COVID-19 on Food Security in Arizona

One in Three Arizona Households
Experienced Food Insecurity since
COVID-19
Since the pandemic, food insecurity increased
among Arizona households.

• 32% of Arizona households were food insecure
since the pandemic. In particular, 22% of households
were persistently food insecure, and another 10%
were newly food insecure (Figure 1).
• Prior to the pandemic (March 2019 – March 2020),
the food insecurity rate was 25%.
Figure 1. Food security status among Arizona
households

• Of the households that said that since the pandemic
they had to cut the size of or skipped meals because
there wasn’t enough money for food, 40% had to do
so almost every week, 45% some weeks but not all
weeks, and 15% only one or two weeks.

Varying Impacts of COVID-19 on
Food Security for Arizona Households
The food insecurity rates were greater among Hispanic
households, households with children, and households
that experienced a job disruption.

• Hispanic households experienced much higher food
insecurity since the pandemic (38% were persistently
food insecurity; 19% were newly food insecure) than
non-Hispanic white households (15% persistently
food insecure and 5% newly food insecure) (Figure 3).
• 66% of households with at least one child under age
5, and 56% of households with at least one child
under age 18 were food insecure since the pandemic
(Figure 4).
• Households with children experienced the highest
rates of new food insecurity since the pandemic,
20% for households with at least one child under 18
and 24% for households with at least one child under 5.

• Since the pandemic, 32% of the respondents indicated
that food in their household did not last long enough
and they did not have the money to buy more food.
Similarly, 31% of households could not afford food.
25% reported eating less, 23% cut the size of or
skipped meals, and 21% went hungry (Figure 2).
All of these different aspects of food insecurity were
reported more frequently since COVID-19.

Figure 3. Food security status by race and Hispanic
origin

Figure 2. Percent of respondents experiencing changes in
food insecurity, by USDA Food Security items

Note: The sample for non-Hispanic African Americans, Asians,
Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders, American Indians and
Alaska Natives, and other/multiple races was too small. These
groups have been combined into the “other” category.

2

November 2020

Impacts of COVID-19 on Food Security in Arizona

“I hope things get better;
I am worried about some people not
having enough food during this time.”

Figure 5. Food security status by race and household
income

—Survey respondent
Figure 4. Food security status by presence of children
in households

At least one
child under 18

At least one
child under 5

No children
in the HH

Figure 6. Food security status by job disruption status
since the pandemic

• While households earning less than $25,000 (in 2019)
experienced the most overall food insecurity (63%)
since COVID-19, only 7% of them were newly food
insecure, while 56% were persistently food insecure.
Households earning $25,000-49,999 experienced a
higher rate of new food insecurity (16%) than the
other income groups (Figure 5).
• About 36% of households experienced a job
disruption since the pandemic. Job disruption
included job loss, reduced hours/income, or being
furloughed. 56% of these households experienced
food insecurity (20% newly and 36% persistently
food insecure) (Figure 6). Food insecurity was
considerably lower for households that did not
experience a job disruption.

“I wish that grocery stores would
enforce social distancing.”
—Survey respondent
3

November 2020

Impacts of COVID-19 on Food Security in Arizona

Arizona Households Worried About
Food Availability and Procurement
Arizona households were worried about food cost,
availability of food, access to food assistance programs,
as well as food safety.

• The majority of the respondents, regardless of their
food security status, were worried about food
becoming too expensive for them to afford, with
61% of food secure respondents and 89% of food
insecure respondents expressing that concern
(Figure 7). This shows that the pandemic impacted
the perceptions of food affordability for the majority
of Arizona households.

• Food insecure household find getting food more
challenging. In particular, they were more likely to
go to more places than usual for food; at the same
time, they were less likely to find as much food as
they wanted or their preferred kinds of food,
compared to food secure households (Figure 8).
• Both food secure and food insecure households have
reduced their grocery trips to minimize their exposure.
Figure 8. Challenges experienced getting food, by
food insecurity status since the pandemic

• 69% of respondents who were food insecure worried
about losing access to food assistance programs,
while this was less of a concern for food secure
respondents.
• Most food insecure respondents were worried about
the availability of food, access to food, and safety of
food.
Figure 7. Different types of worry Arizona households
experienced, by food insecurity status since the pandemic.
Never

Sometimes

Usually

Always

Note: The respondents indicated the frequencies of challenges
from a scale of 1 (Never) to 4 (Always).

Staying Resilient Through Strategies
for Food Security
Many Arizona households are worried about the
impact of the pandemic on their food security, and relied
on diverse strategies to meet their food needs.

• Purchasing patterns have changed since the
pandemic. 27% of the respondents indicated that
they were buying cheaper food, and 36% indicated
they were buying non-perishable food items (Figure 9).
• About one in eight households bought food on credit
(14%), borrowed money from friends and family for
food (12%), and received food from food a pantry or
a soup kitchen (13%) during the pandemic (Figure 9).
Note: Food insecure since the pandemic includes newly food
insecure and persistently insecure

4

November 2020

Impacts of COVID-19 on Food Security in Arizona
• For all the different strategies that are currently
used, the expectation is that they are also likely to
be used in the future, and more frequently.
Figure 9. Different strategies used for food security:
currently using and considering using in the future

• Since COVID-19, most households, regardless of
food security status, have spent more time cooking
at home; have maintained a two-week supply of
groceries; and have thrown away less food than
normal.
• 64% of food insecure households and 49% of food
secure households have bought a lot more items in
a single shopping trip.
• 82% of the respondents who were food insecure
identified “extra money to help pay for food or bills”
as the main factor to help address food insecurity
(Figure 11).

“I think the food supply chain has adapted
and food isn’t as big of an issue as
it was earlier during the pandemic.”
—Survey respondent
Figure 11. Different ideas of what would help meet
one’s household’s food needs
Figure 10. Food- and shopping-related behavioral
changes since the pandemic

5

November 2020

Impacts of COVID-19 on Food Security in Arizona
• The second most helpful factor for those who were
food insecure (75%) was “more trust in safety of
going to stores,” which was also the primary factor
that would help food secure households (57%).
• Over one out of three food insecure households
indicated that more trust in the safety of food (71%),
support for food delivery costs (70%), and more
(or different) food in store (67%) would be helpful.

food access, food assistance program participation, as well as
households and individual demographic characteristics. All
analyses were adjusted for sampling weights so that results can be
generalized to all Arizona households. The period from March
2019 to March 10, 2020 was referred to as prior to the pandemic
while the period after March 11, 2020 aims at capturing what has
changed since the pandemic. A series of briefs from this survey
are available at asufoodpolicy.org and nfactresearch.org.

Acknowledgments

Policy Implications

This project was supported by a COVID-19 seed grant from the
College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University.

Since the pandemic, food insecurity in Arizona
increased by 28%. The groups that were most impacted
and in need of immediate support during these
unprecedented times include: Hispanic households,
households making less than $50,000 per year, households with children, and households that experienced
job disruptions. Food insecure households were
concerned about the cost of food and loss of income to
procure food, coupled with the fear of losing access to
food assistance programs. There is an urgent need to
ensure food is affordable and available to vulnerable
households. These households seek financial assistance
and assurance about availability and safety of food.
This can be accomplished through income support
programs and expansion of benefits for food safety
net programs. Such programs should encourage
participation by relaxing their eligibility criteria, while
following personal safety guidelines, to ensure that the
households most impacted by the pandemic have the
resources to meet their food and nutritional needs.

About NFACT

Methods
In July-August 2020, a sample of 620 adult Arizona residents
responded to an online survey of households contacted through
a survey research firm (Qualtrics). Survey respondents were
selected to be representative of Arizona population, with an
over-sampling of respondents from low-income households. The
respondents in the sample reside in 75 different towns, from 15
out of the 16 counties in AZ. Most respondents lived in Maricopa
county (60%), followed by Pima (17%), and Pinal (6%) counties.
Respondents were 18-86 years old, with the average age being 47.
Half (49%) of the respondents were from low-income households
(i.e., with an annual income in 2019 lower than $50,000); 54%
were non-Hispanic white and 34% were Hispanic; 39% had a
college degree; 17% were foreign-born. Participants were asked
to answer questions on a variety of topics including food security,

This research is conducted as part of The National Food Access
and COVID Research Team (NFACT). NFACT is a national
collaboration of researchers committed to rigorous, comparative,
and timely food access research during the time of COVID-19.
We do this through collaborative, open access research that
prioritizes communication to key decision-makers while building
our scientific understanding of food system behaviors and policies.
To learn more visit nfactresearch.org.

References
1. Pereira M, Oliveira AM. Poverty and food insecurity can
increase as threats of COVID-19 spreads. Public Health
Nutrition. 2020:1-10.
2. Laborde D, Martin W, Swinnen J, Vos R. COVID-19 risks
to global food security. Science. 2020;369(6503):500-502.
3. US Department of Labor. dol.gov/ui/data.pdf.
Accessed on 9/22/2020.
4. The Hamilton Project. hamiltonproject.org/blog/the_covid_
19_crisis_has_already_left_too_many_children_hungry_in_
america. Accessed on 9/22/2020.
5. Martinelli S, Acciai F, Yellow Horse AJ, Josephson A,
Ohri-Vachaspati P. Food Assistance Program Participation
among Arizona Households during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University,
November 2020.
6. USDA. Definitions of Food Security. United States
Department of Agriculture. Published 2020. ers.usda.gov/
topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/
definitions-of-food-security.aspx. Accessed on 9/22/2020.
7. USDA. U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module:
Six-Item Short Form United States Department of
Agriculture; 2012.

Suggested Citation
Acciai F, Yellow Horse AJ, Martinelli S, Josephson A, Evans T, Ohri-Vachaspati P. “Impacts of COVID-19 on Food Security in Arizona.”
College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, November 2020.

6

November 2020