‘People Are Hungry’: The State of Food Insecurity in Dallas County

Data presented Monday to the Dallas City Council's Workforce, Education, and Equity Committee shows that Dallas County is experiencing a higher rate of food insecurity, especially among children, than at the state or national levels.

Even as Dallas County increases its number of programs aimed at increasing the availability, awareness and access to healthy food choices, the most recent data shows Dallas is now more food insecure, not less. According to county data from 2022, the most recent year for which analysis is available, 25% of children in Dallas County lack adequate access to food compared to 16% in Texas and 14% nationally.

There is also a racial divide when it comes to access to healthy food in Dallas County; the data shows its a disparity that is growing more significant with time. Whereas 25% of Black Dallasites reported experiencing food insecurity in 2020, that number is now 29% — higher than the national average. Amongst Latinos, 21% reported lacking access to affordable, healthy foods, and white respondents recorded food insecurity at a 10% rate.

A map presented to the council shows that southern Dallas, especially neighborhoods surrounding Interstates 35 and 45, experiences the highest food insecurity rate across Dallas. The map is nearly identical to one displaying Dallas’ highest rate of chronic disease burden; Dr. Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, told the council the two are inextricably linked.

“Food insecurity is a social determinant of health [and is] associated with poor health outcomes [such as] coronary heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer,” Huang said. “And so there is sort of that cycle of food insecurity and its relationship to chronic diseases.”

In response to the data, South Dallas has been the target of several of Dallas County’s food access initiatives. Many DCHHS Community Garden grants have been distributed south of I-30; the grants help connect food-producing community gardens to master gardeners to increase crop yields. DCHHS funds also helped start the For Oak Cliff Farmers Market in District 4, which has served nearly 5,000 customers and offers a satellite location for Parkland Hospital health screenings.

But in many cases, an area such as District 4 lacks the basics, said council member Carolyn King Arnold. She regularly hears from constituents that there is a need for more grocery stores, and though she has often asked grocers to build in District 4, she has been met with reluctance from retailers concerned about crime in the area.

“We live with that black mark. People are hungry, and they need to be fed,” Arnold said. “Why can't we get a quality grocery store in our neighborhood so that we can have broccoli, so that we can have peas, so that we can have fresh beans, so that we can have fresh meat that's not mystery meat?”

Huang also noted a growing socioeconomic challenge to food accessibility. In the years since the COVID-19 pandemic, even families with incomes above 185% of the Federal Poverty Level—around $60,000 for a family of four—have increasingly struggled with food affordability.

Huang said addressing underlying socioeconomic disparities will be a key need for Dallas County in the coming months, but it’s something the county can’t address alone. Council member Gay Donnell Willis asked Huang what to tell residents looking to help promote food security. He answered that advocacy on the federal level could be critical for ensuring Dallas County’s food access programs move forward.

Already, some changes on the federal level could exacerbate Dallas County’s food access challenges. Last week, a Today.com report found a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that funds food bank purchasing is set to be slashed. A second program that purchases fresh produce for school lunches is also expected to take a hit.

“Given the current climate of everything going on, really advocate and make sure there aren’t further cuts in these programs that we’re dealing with right now. I think that’s a real concern that we’re facing,” Huang said. “There are threats to some of the existing resources that we currently have.”