Food Security & Nutrition Access

Are you Food Secure?

Food Security means having access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. For most people, this means having grocery stores nearby that stock a variety of fresh, whole foods like fruit and produce. 

Food insecurity, on the other hand, means that there are barriers preventing someone from getting nutritious, life-sustaining foods. Individuals and even whole neighborhoods can experience food insecurity. 

Food Insecurity in New Orleans

Currently, New Orleans is among the most food-insecure cities in the United States. Feeding Louisiana estimates that, based on the most recently available data, 16.4% of Orleans Parish meets the criteria for being considered food insecure. 

  • 62,320 (16.4% of) people in Orleans Parish are food insecure

  • New Orleans has one of the highest rates of food insecurity among seniors of all metropolitan areas in the U.S.
  • 21.6% of New Orleanians receive SNAP benefits.

Food access is uneven across the city. For example, some neighborhoods have multiple supermarkets, whereas others have only one or none. This means that large areas of the city face barriers to getting whole, healthy foods. So what can we do to tackle this problem?

Food and Nutrition Insecurity in New Orleans Report

View Report

NOHD's Work

The New Orleans Health Department (NOHD) is partnering with four food-based community organizations to lead programs that directly address the issue of food security in our city. To learn more about these projects, or to find resources for food assistance programs, follow the links below.

 

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