COVID-19 Pandemic One Year Later:
Food Insecurity and
Food Assistance in Arizona

Francesco Acciai 1
Anna Josephson 2
Sarah Martinelli1
Aggie Yellow Horse 3
Tom Evans 4
Punam Ohri-Vachaspati 1

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

Key Findings

Introduction

• In our sample during the first four months of
2021, food insecurity rates in Arizona were
higher (28%) compared to those reported in the
year prior to the pandemic (22%). The largest
increase was seen in households with children –
jumping from 32% to 45%.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020
and the resulting closures of schools, businesses, and
restaurants led to a massive economic disruption in
Arizona. The unemployment rate at its peak reached
14.2% (April 2020)—a level even higher than during
the great recession of 2008.1,2 High unemployment
rates, coupled with a breakdown of local and national
food supply chains, led to a remarkable increase in food
insecurity rates among Arizona households.3,4 More
than a year later, as vaccines became widely available
and restrictions were lifted, schools and business began
to reopen, and most activities slowly returned to prepandemic standards. The effects of the pandemic on
food insecurity and food-related behaviors, however,
might have long-lasting effects. This brief describes
levels of food insecurity, food assistance program
participation, job disruption, and food related
behaviors among 814 households in Arizona, in the
12 months preceding the pandemic (March 2019 –
March 2020) and approximately one year after the
onset of the COVID-19 pandemic ( January 2021 –
April 2021). Data collection took place between April
and May 2021.

• Racial/ethnic disparities were observed in food
insecurity rates prior to the pandemic, with
non-Hispanic White households experiencing
the lowest rate of food insecurity (15%).
Similarly, the increase in food insecurity
during the pandemic differed greatly across
households of different races/ethnicities, with
AIAN (American Indian and Alaskan Native)
households experiencing the greatest increase
(from 30% to 43%).
• 36% of households have experienced some form
of job disruption since the onset of the pandemic
(March 2020). The most common job disruption
was reduction in hours or income (19%),
followed by job loss (17%) and furlough (7%). Job
disruptions were associated with considerably
higher rates of food insecurity for all household
types, but particularly for household with
children (65%).
• The most significant food-related concern for
Arizona households was affordability: on a
scale from 1 (not worried at all) to 6 (extremely
worried), food affordability corresponded to a
rating of 4.8 for food insecure households and
3.6 for food secure households.

1

Food Insecurity
Food insecurity is defined as having limited or
inconsistent access to nutritious and affordable food.
Respondents were asked six yes/no questions about
food availability and affordability in their households,
following the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)
six-item short form of the Food Security Survey
Module.5 Households were classified as food insecure
if respondents answered affirmatively to two or more
questions.5 These food insecurity questions were
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COVID-19 Pandemic One Year Later: Food Insecurity and Food Assistance in Arizona
asked for the two time periods under examination—
the 12 months prior to the pandemic (March 2019 –
March 2020) and the first four months of 2021, which
corresponded to the four months prior to the survey
(approximately January–April 2021).
Figure 1: Food insecurity rates by household type

• Non-Hispanic Black households experienced the
second highest level of food insecurity (42%) in the
first four months of 2021 but experienced no further
increase, perhaps because of the already-high level of
food insecurity prior to the pandemic (Figure 2).
• Hispanic households experienced the second highest
increase in food insecurity during the first four
months of 2021, with the rate increasing from 29%
to 39% (Figure 2).
• The food insecurity rate for non-Hispanic White
households was the lowest both prior to the pandemic
and during the first four months of 2021 (Figure 2).

Note: Households with at least one child (0-18 years-old) were
classified as ‘households with children.’ Among households
without children, we distinguished between ‘adult-only households’ if all members were between 19 and 64 years of age, and
‘households with seniors’ if at least one member was 65 or older.

• In the first four months in 2021, about 28% of
Arizona households were food insecure. This was
an increase from about 22% in the year prior to the
COVID-19 pandemic (Figure 1).
• While food insecurity increased for all household
types, households with children experienced the
largest increase (from 32% to 45%) (Figure 1).
Figure 2: Food insecurity rates by racial/ethnic group

Job Disruptions
After reaching the record-high level of 14.2% in April
2020 (from 4.9% in February 2020), the unemployment
rate has fluctuated between 6.7 and 6.9% since the end
of 2020. In June 2021 (the last available data point), the
rate was 6.8%.1 While the economy has rebounded,
unemployment is still significantly higher than it was
prior to the pandemic and tens of thousands of people
are still out of work or underemployed. The survey
asked whether respondents or anyone in their household
had experienced any job disruptions since the onset of
the pandemic (March 2020). In case of an affirmative
answer, follow-up questions were asked about the type
(i.e., job loss; hours/income reduction; furlough) of the
job disruption(s).
Figure 3: Changes in employment status since the
onset of the pandemic (March 2020)

Note: PI indicates Pacific Islanders (including Native Hawaiians)
and AIAN indicates American Indians and Alaskan Native.
Because of a small sample size (n=19), we are not reporting the
data for households whose respondent self-identified with ‘Other/
multiple races.’

• American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN)
households experienced the highest increase in
food insecurity, which reached 43% in the first
four months of 2021, from 30% in the year prior to
the pandemic. One year into the pandemic, food
insecurity was higher among AIAN households than
it was for any other racial/ethnic group (Figure 2).

2

• 36% of households have experienced some form
of job disruption since the onset of the pandemic
(Figure 3).
• The most common job disruption was a reduction
in work hours or income (19%), followed by job loss
(17%), and being furloughed (7%) (Figure 3).
• Households with children and adult-only households
were more likely to experience a job disruption (49%
and 47%, respectively) than were households with
seniors (15%) (not shown).
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COVID-19 Pandemic One Year Later: Food Insecurity and Food Assistance in Arizona
Figure 4: Food insecurity rates during the first four
months of 2021 by quarantine and job disruption status

• 53% of households that experienced a job disruption
were food insecure, compared with 13% of
households that did not experience a job disruption
(Figure 4).
• Similarly, those who had to quarantine were more
likely to be food insecure: 38% compared with 23%
(Figure 4).
Figure 5: Food insecurity rates during the first four
months of 2021 by job disruption status for different
household types

Note: Households with at least one child (0-18 years-old) were
classified as ‘households with children.’ Among households
without children, we distinguished between ‘adult-only
households’ if all members were between 19 and 64 years of age,
and ‘households with seniors’ if at least one member was 65 or
older.

• Experiencing a job disruption was associated with
considerably higher rates of food insecurity for all
types of households (Figure 5).
• One in two (50%) adult-only households and almost
two in three (65%) households with children that
reported experiencing a job disruption (at some point
since the onset of the pandemic) were food insecure
during the first 4 months of 2021 (Figure 5).

Food Assistance Program
Participation
Federal food safety net programs are designed to
meet the needs of lower-income families, especially
during periods of economic downturn. In response
to the pandemic, USDA offered a number of waivers
to facilitate program use. Respondents reported
their participation in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program), WIC (Supplemental Nutrition
Program for Women, Infants, and Children), school
meals, and food pantries, both during the year prior to
the pandemic and during the first 4 months of 2021.
Additional questions about participation in P-EBT
(Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer) were asked
only for the first months of 2021, as this program was
created during the pandemic.

Figure 6: Food assistance program participation prior to and one year into the pandemic by household type

Note: Households with children were those households with at least one child (0-18 years-old). Households fall under the ‘low-income’
category if their 2019 annual income was $50,000 or less.

The online application [for SNAP]
is impossible to complete.

—41-year-old non-Hispanic White female from Maricopa county
3

Most WIC foods have been bought
when we go shopping.

—18-year-old Hispanic female from Pima county
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COVID-19 Pandemic One Year Later: Food Insecurity and Food Assistance in Arizona
• Overall, in our sample, self-reported SNAP
participation and pantry use increased slightly in
the period between January 2021 and April 2021
compared to the year prior to the pandemic, while
school meal participation remained the same, and
WIC use declined slightly (Figure 6).
• For low-income households, participation in SNAP
and food pantries increased slightly during the first
four months of 2021, but WIC and school meal
participation showed opposite trends.
• Notably, SNAP, school meal, and food pantry use
increased for households with children in the first
four months of 2021, while WIC participation
declined slightly.
• A smaller proportion of food insecure households
reported participating in SNAP, WIC, school meals,
and food pantry in the first four months of 2021.

or curtailed work opportunities. Respondents were
asked to rate their food-related concerns on a scale
from 1 (not worried at all) to 6 (extremely worried)
(Figure 7), and to report on their food shopping
practices both prior to and one year into the
pandemic (Figure 8).

We don’t have a car to pick up
school meals.
—50-year-old non-Hispanic White female
from Maricopa county
Figure 7: Arizona households’ level of food-related
concerns one year into the pandemic ( January-April
2021)

[School meals] have been a
great help to me and my family
—21-year-old Hispanic female from
Maricopa county

P-EBT Participation
In April 2020, the Arizona Department of Education
started providing a novel benefit called P-EBT
(pandemic electronic benefits transfer) to families
whose children were eligible for free and reducedprice school meals. The program aims to cover the
cost of school meals students did not receive while
schools transitioned fully or partly to a remote learning
model.7 In January 2021, the benefits were expanded to
include eligible childcare facilities. Overall, in the first
four months of 2021, 21% of eligible households with
children in our sample reported using P-EBT.

Food Sources and Worries
The nature of disruptions to food systems has changed
through the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Food
production was disrupted by stay-at-home orders and
closures of facilities, particularly in the meat industry.
Commensurately, in 2020, food prices experienced an
annualized increase of approximately 5% for many
commodities.8 This occurred at a time when many
households had reduced income due to unemployment
4

NOTE: For each item, respondents were asked to quantify their
level of concern on a scale ranging from 1 (not worried at all) to
6 (extremely worried).

• Arizona households were mostly concerned
about the affordability and, to a lesser extent, the
availability of food.
• Food insecure households particularly expressed
concerns regarding the cost of food and the ability
to satisfy food needs if stay-at-home orders were
in effect.
• Even food secure households expressed moderate
concern about food affordability during the
pandemic.

The food pantry near me
is only open for 4 hours on
Wednesdays when I work.
—26-year-old non-Hispanic White female
from Pima county
August 2021

COVID-19 Pandemic One Year Later: Food Insecurity and Food Assistance in Arizona
Figure 8: Arizona households’ use of different food
sources prior to and one year into the pandemic
( January-April 2021)

Note: Free meal programs included food obtained from food
pantries, senior centers, religious institutions, and other places
providing free food.

Food acquisition strategies have shifted during the
pandemic. Many counties enacted limits on restaurant
dining resulting in a 35% drop in restaurant dining by
food secure households. Grocery stores were identified
as essential services and were therefore less affected by
government interventions.
• Household reliance on grocery stores during the
pandemic has been consistent with pre-pandemic
patterns (Figure 8).
• Food insecure households reduced their reliance on
convenience/corner stores in the first four months
of 2021 and increased their use of grocery delivery
services (38% to 55%) (Figure 8).
• The use of free meal programs in the first four
months of 2021 has been only slightly lower than
prior to the pandemic for both food secure and food
insecure households (Figure 8).

Implications
• Despite the prevalence of job disruptions and
increased food insecurity, the participation rate
in the main federal food assistance programs only
changed slightly during the first months of the
pandemic.6 One year into the pandemic, food
insecurity rates in Arizona continue to be higher
(28%) than they were in 2019 (22%). Nonetheless, we
only saw a slight change in the use of food assistance
programs and only by some types of households.
5

• Specifically, SNAP and school meal program use
increased among households with children, while
WIC use declined. Similarly, more low-income
households participated in SNAP, but fewer did so in
school meals and WIC. This differential uptake of
food assistance programs during the pandemic sheds
light on program implementation and potentially the
impact of flexibilities offered through various USDA
waivers. A recent study showed that some WIC
participants were not fully aware of waivers and
extensions available. Those who were aware of those
options still encountered obstacles in redeeming their
full benefits.9
• Enhanced benefits, flexibility in program enrollment
and recertification, and delivery innovations offered
through USDA waivers may have contributed to
small increases in SNAP participation observed
among low-income households and households with
children. Lack of similar trends for school meals
and WIC participation calls for exploring additional
delivery modes and outreach to ensure those in need
are able to benefit from these programs.
• The remarkable decrease in participation in all food
assistance programs among food insecure households
might be partially attributable to the increase in
the number of newly food insecure households
(households that were not food insecure prior to the
pandemic). Newly food insecure households may
not be aware of the programs or how to navigate
the system to enroll in those programs. During
emergency situations, food assistance programs
should make requirements clear and enrollment
as easy as possible, so that a larger number of
households in need can benefit from the programs.

[Food pantries] are very helpful
to me and my family
—65-year-old Hispanic female
from Pinal county

Study Approach
The survey instrument used for the current study is publicly
available.10 We surveyed 814 Arizona residents (age 18 or over)
in April-May 2021 using Qualtrics online panels. The current
brief reports results based on 696 respondents with complete data
on all variables used in the analysis. Survey respondents were
selected to be representative of the Arizona population, with an
oversampling of respondents from low-income households.

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COVID-19 Pandemic One Year Later: Food Insecurity and Food Assistance in Arizona
The respondents in the full sample resided in 84 towns, from 14
of the 15 counties in Arizona. Most respondents lived in Maricopa county (61%), followed by Pima (15%) and Pinal (6%) counties.
Respondents were 18-89 years old, with an average age of 48. Almost half (45%) of the respondents were from low-income households (i.e., with an annual income in 2019 lower than $50,000).
The racial/ethnic composition of the sample was as follows: 52%
non-Hispanic White; 26% Hispanic; 8% Black; 6% Asian or
Pacific Islander; 5% American Indian or Alaskan Native; and 3%
‘Other/Multiple’ race.
Participants were asked to answer questions on a variety of topics,
including food security, food access, food assistance program participation, employment status, as well as household and individual
demographic characteristics. All analyses used sampling weights
so that the sample reflects the Arizona income, race, and ethnicity distribution in 2019, based on the American Community
Survey 5-year estimates. Limitations of surveys like the current
one may include underrepresentation of groups with low literacy
or inability to take survey in English/Spanish, without cell phone
or Internet, facing high pandemic demands, and/or with low
trust of surveys. Self-selection into the sample might be even more
relevant for older adults (age 65+), as internet use is less prevalent
among this demographic group. Additionally, responses may be
influenced by factors such as social desirability, recall bias, misunderstanding, or rushing to complete.
The period from March 2019 to March 10, 2020 was referred
to as ‘prior to the pandemic,’ while the period including the fi rst
four months of 2021 ( January – April) aims at capturing respondents’ experiences (approximately) one year into the pandemic.
A series of briefs from this survey are available at asufoodpolicy.
org and nfactresearch.org.

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

About NFACT
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.

6

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survey-tools/#six
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Dietetics. 2021, Feb 3.
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