Helping or Harming? Review of Nutrition Quality of Monroe County Food Pantry Holdings

ABSTRACT

Food insecure families often consume inexpensive energy-dense yet nutrient-poor foods which contribute to increased chronic disease risk. This assessment quantifies the nutritional content of foods distributed by food pantries in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Foods within each pantry’s distribution to a small family (~4 people) and additional storage areas were analyzed by the item’s category and content using Feeding America’s Foods to Encourage guidelines. The proportion of nutrient-dense and nutrient-poor items were compared between sites based on pantry characteristics. State-funded pantries stored significantly more nutrient-dense food categories than did nonstate-funded pantries (χ² = 27.265, p < 0.001); however, only 27% of all food items assessed met all nutrient-dense qualifications in detailed content analysis. State-funded food pantries in Monroe County provide more healthful options than do nonstate-funded pantries. Implications for funding, health, and donor education are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Food pantry
• food pantry
• supplemental and emergency food system
• health disparities
• food insecurity
• nutrition quality

Acknowledgments

The authors are indebted to the Pocono Mountains Hunger Coalition for its efforts to facilitate access to the pantries and for its forthcoming follow-up initiatives as well as to Irakli Kakauridze for his assistance in data collection.