Planning for Food Access During Emergencies: Missed Meals in Philadelphia

Abstract

Objectives. To illustrate the effects that minor social or environmental disruptions could have on the food access of low-income households in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and provide suggestions for how cities can better incorporate food into emergency planning.

Methods. Using publicly available data and stakeholder interviews (n = 8) in 2017, we projected the number of meals that would be missed during environmental and social disruptions in Philadelphia, a major US city with a high poverty rate.

Results. As our projections in Philadelphia indicate, even just 3 days of school closures could result in as many as 405 600 missed meals for school-aged children.

Conclusions. These scenarios provide valuable lessons for other cities to proactively plan for food access continuity in times of uncertainty.

Public Health Implications. City planners and other city agencies need to include food as a routine part of emergency planning and redefine the threshold at which emergency response protocols are triggered to better ensure protection of low-income and underserved populations.