You’ve heard it before: “We need to improve access to food…”

But let me let you in on a little secret: access to food alone isn’t enough.

Here’s the thing—food insecurity has been treated like a single-issue problem for too long. The idea that simply making food available will solve the crisis sounds great in theory.

But in practice, it has failed time and time again. Why? Because food insecurity isn’t a one-dimensional issue. It’s not just about having food on the shelves—it’s about making sure people can consistently buy, cook, and even want to eat that food.

Let’s dive into the real reasons food insecurity keeps coming back, and why access alone hasn’t cut it.

Access Alone is Like a Leaky Boat

Here’s the situation: You’ve got access to food, but it’s not steady.

You’ve got your paddle (that’s your food access), but the boat is full of holes—unstable jobs, rising costs of living, healthcare bills, and who knows what else.

No matter how hard you paddle, that boat’s going to sink unless you plug those holes.

This is what food access solutions have failed to address. Sure, you can get more grocery stores, food drives, or even mobile markets, but if people don’t have enough income to buy that food regularly, you’re just delaying the inevitable.

Food insecurity is a financial problem at its core—fix the money issues, and you’ll see real change. Ignore it, and you’ll keep paddling that sinking boat.

Knowing How to Use the Map

Now, let’s say you’ve got food on the shelves. Great, right? Well, here’s the kicker—just because it’s available doesn’t mean people know how to use it.

You could hand someone the most detailed map in the world, but if they don’t know how to read it, they’re still lost.

That’s what’s happening with food access. People get access to food, but there’s no education on how to use it effectively.

How many times have people been handed bags of groceries filled with unfamiliar ingredients they don’t know how to cook?

Without nutrition education and meal planning know-how, even access to food won’t lead to better health outcomes. It’s like having all the pieces of a puzzle but no idea how to put them together.

The Wrong Key for the Wrong Lock

Picture this: someone hands you a key and says, “Here you go—this will open the door to a better life.” You walk up to the door, but no matter how hard you twist, it doesn’t open. The key doesn’t fit the lock.

This is exactly what happens when food access doesn’t consider cultural relevance. Providing food that doesn’t align with someone’s cultural practices or dietary needs is like giving them the wrong key.

Sure, the food is there, but if it’s not something they know how to cook or even want to eat, it’s as good as locked away. Real food security means offering food that’s culturally appropriate and useful—not just any food for the sake of access.

Health and Transportation: The Car Without Gas

You’ve got food within reach, but what if you can’t physically get to it? It’s like someone hands you a shiny new car but forgets to give you gas. Transportation and health barriers are two of the biggest problems that keep people from accessing food, even when it’s nearby.

For the elderly, disabled, or people without reliable transportation, having a grocery store down the street isn’t enough.

If they can’t get there, or can’t carry groceries back, they’re just as food insecure as if the store didn’t exist. Food access solutions often fail because they don’t consider these physical barriers.

Stress and Anxiety: The Invisible Hand That Keeps People Down

Let’s talk about something a little less visible but just as damaging—the mental toll of food insecurity. Imagine walking a tightrope every day with no safety net below.

You’re constantly worried about falling. That’s what it’s like for people who live in food insecurity.

The stress and anxiety of not knowing where your next meal will come from affects everything—decision-making, energy levels, even how you interact with others.

Access to food alone doesn’t fix that psychological burden. You can have food, but the constant fear of losing it or not having enough still weighs you down. Until you address the mental and emotional toll, food access solutions will always fall short.

The House Built on Sand: No Jobs, No Stability

Food insecurity is often treated like a problem that can be solved with food alone. But the real issue runs deeper—it’s about economic stability. Imagine building a house on sand—it doesn’t matter how well you build it, it’s going to fall apart without a solid foundation.

The same is true for food access.

Without stable jobs and the skills to get those jobs, people will always be on shaky ground. Food access might provide a temporary solution, but it’s not the long-term fix people need to pull themselves out of insecurity.

Job creation and skills training are the bedrock that make food access meaningful. Without that foundation, it’s all just a short-term Band-Aid.

The Symphony Without a Conductor

Food access has failed in the past because it’s often disorganized and uncoordinated. It’s like watching a symphony where everyone is playing a different song—there’s no harmony, no leadership.

Coordination between local farms, food banks, grocery stores, and community organizations is critical to ensuring food is distributed efficiently.

You can have plenty of food available, but if there’s no coordination on how to get it to the right people at the right time, it’s all just noise. Food goes to waste, people remain hungry, and the cycle continues.

Proper coordination can turn a messy system into a well-orchestrated plan that ensures food gets where it’s needed most.

Why Access Isn’t the Magic Fix

So, what does all this mean? It means that food insecurity isn’t just about getting food on the shelves. It’s about making sure people can afford it, cook it, and use it in a way that actually improves their lives.

It’s about addressing the transportation, health, and mental barriers that keep food out of reach. It’s about making sure food systems are organized, culturally relevant, and built on the foundation of stable jobs and skills.

Access to food has failed before because it only solved one part of the problem. But food insecurity is like a puzzle with many pieces—access is just one of them. Until we address the deeper issues, we’ll keep coming up short.

It’s time we stop treating food access like the one-size-fits-all solution and start looking at the bigger picture.

Food insecurity isn’t just about food—it’s about the systems that support people’s ability to get it, use it, and thrive on it.

And once we start addressing all those pieces, that’s when we’ll see real change.