Table A2.

Definitions of Food Insecurity Used in the Literature Since 2000.

Citation	Level of Analysis	Definition
Alaimo, 2005 [18]	Global, National, Regional	Limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate or safe foods.
Babu and Gajanan, 2021 [31]	Individual	A lack of access to the kinds and amounts of food necessary for each member of a household to lead an active and a healthy lifestyle.
Bergmans, 2019 [92]	Individual	The physical pain of hunger as well as the more common experience of worrying about having enough healthy food to eat.
Bovell et al., 2015 [93]	Household	Limited or uncertain access to enough food for all household members to live active and healthy lives.
Coleman-Jensen et al., 2014 [94]	Household	A household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
Coleman-Jensen et al., 2021 [61]	Individual	Access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources.
Davitt et al., 2021 [95]	Household	Diminished variety, quality, and desirability of diet as well as decreased access to food.
Donley and Gualtieri, 2015 [96]	Individual	Lacking enough money to buy the amount and variety of food one needs or wants.
Dowler et al., 2001 [97]	Individual	The inability to acquire or consume an adequate quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways, or the uncertainty that one will be able to do so.
Economic Research Service, 2022 [28]	Household	Households were, at times, unable to acquire adequate food for one or more household members because the household had insufficient money and other resources for food.
FAO et al. 2022 [3]	Individual	Lack regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life. This may be due to unavailability of food and/or lack of resources to obtain food.
Food Forward, 2019 [98]	Household, Individual	Lack of access to enough, good, healthy, and culturally appropriate food.
Frongillo and Horan, 2004, p. 28 [47]	Global, National, Regional, Household, Individual	Problems with the availability, accessibility, and utilization of food.
Gundersen and Ziliak, 2015, p. 1830 [13]	Household	A condition which households lack access to adequate food because of limited money or other resources.
Harke et al., 2021, p. 1 [99]	Household, Individual	The lack of access to sufficient food because of limited financial resources.
Life Sciences Research Office and Andersen, 1990 [24]	National, Regional, Household	The limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.
Litton and Beavers, 2021 [100]	Individual	Reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet.
Mardones et al., 2020 [101]	Individual	Unreliable physical, social, and economic access to sources of adequate and nutritious food that meets people’s dietary needs and food preferences.
Maxwell et al., 1990 [102]	Individual	The lack of access to enough food.
Miriam Webster Dictionary, 2022 [30]	Household, Individual	The fact or an instance of being unable to consistently access or afford adequate food.
National Research Council et al., 2006 [8]	Household, Individual	Individuals and/or families in a household adjusting their dietary intakes or preferences because of a lack of physical or economic resources.
National Research Council, 2006, p. 4 [8]	Household, Individual	Uncertain, insufficient, or unacceptable availability, access, or utilization of food.
National Research Council, 2006, p. 44 [8]	Individual	The social and economic problem of lack of food due to resource or other constraints, not voluntary fasting, or dieting, or because of illness, or for other reasons.
Niles et al., 2020 [103]	Household, Individual	The lack of consistent physical, social, and economic access to adequate and nutritious food that meets dietary needs and food preferences.
Nord and Prell, 2007 [104]	Household	Household level economic and social condition of limited access to food.
Nord et al., 2005 [105]	Household, Individual	The disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of lack of money and other resources.
Power et al., 2016, p. 4 [106]	Household, Individual	Inadequate or insecure access to adequate food due to financial constraints.
Roshanafshar and Hawkins, 2015, p. 4 [107]	Household	When one or more (household) members do(es) not have access to the variety or quantity of food that they need due to lack of money.
Shapouri, 2010, p. v [108]	Individual	Consuming less than the nutritional target of 2100 calories per day per person.
United Health Foundation, 2022 [17]	Household	Households unable to provide adequate food for one or more household members due to lack of resources.
US Department of Agriculture, 2022 [27]	Household	Lack of available financial resources for food at the household level.
US Department of Agriculture, 2022 [27]	Household	A household’s inability to provide enough food for each person to live an active healthy lifestyle.
Voices for Alabama’s Children, 2015 [109]	Household	Lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.

Note: While not all-inclusive, the definitions presented illustrate the need for a comprehensive definition. To our knowledge, all definitions are reported verbatim and are cited with their original source.