65 Black Food Experts To Know & Learn From — Nutritionists, Chefs & More

Food can be a form of comfort, solace, fuel, and a connection to one's family and culture. And yes, food should be included in the conversation about racial inequality. In fact, the two are deeply intertwined. 

A study published in 2018 examines the impacts of structural racism on food insecurity1. In it, researchers define structural racism as "the totality of ways in which societies foster racial discrimination, via mutually reinforcing inequitable systems." These systems include housing, employment, earnings, media, health care, criminal justice, and more. 

The social and economic advantages white people have because of those long-standing systems drive higher rates of food insecurity among racial and ethnic groups, the study explains. 

Food insecurity has been followed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for more than 20 years. While there have been fluctuations during those years, "one trend that has continued to persist is the gap in the prevalence of food insecurity between people of color and whites," they write. 

Because these disparities have continued for more than a decade, the researchers say it's important to think beyond race and ethnicity alone and start considering the factors that affect people of color differently than white people—aka structural racism. Food insecurity is just one of the ways racism is a public health issue.