A college student from a low-income family reports not eating much on weekends when the dining facilities reduce their hours. This is an example of:

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The challenges of gaining access to food, and occupations surrounding the acquisition of food, food storage, and maximizing food use, will continue to grow globally. This creates an opportunity for occupational therapy and occupational science to address this critical occupational justice challenge. The high volume of food waste in current times has a negative environmental impact on communities, as well as a detrimental economic impact on families (Stancu, Haugaard, & Lähteenmäki, 2016). In addition, critical food shortages are projected for the future, as crop production is unlikely to keep pace with global population growth (Ray, Mueller, West, & Foley, 2013) and will have an impact on food security. Food security is realized when "all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preference and dietary needs for an active and healthy life" (International Food Policy Research Institute, n.d., para. 1). Thus, the reduction of food waste is a moral imperative and a matter of occupational justice.
Food waste includes both edible and what was once edible food that has been purposefully discarded once it reaches the consumer (Zepeda & Balaine, 2017). It can also refer to unintended food loss during the distribution phases (Porpino, Parente, & Wansink, 2015). Global estimates of food waste are staggering: "Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year-approximately 1.3 billion tons-gets lost or wasted" (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO], 2019, para. 1). The rate of food waste is higher in North America and Europe (95 kg to 115 kg per year) than in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia (6 kg to 11 kg per year). In less industrialized countries, the majority of the waste occurs in the production and storage phases, early in the food production chain, whereas in industrialized countries the waste occurs later in this chain (FAO, 2019).
Food waste rates in the United States mirror those of global estimates, with one-third of food going "uneaten through loss or waste. This waste adversely impacts food security and the environment. When food is tossed aside, so too are opportunities for healthier communities, economic growth, and environmental prosperity" (U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA], n.d., para. 1). A pilot study of U.S. college students found the students to be knowledgeable about food waste and the environmental impact of that waste. The participants were concerned about food safety but were unaware of food insecurity (Zepeda & Balaine, 2017), which is interesting, as universities have started programs to combat food insecurity among college students (Bradshaw, 2017). Approximately one-third of college students experience food insecurity, with over half of these students working and 75% of them receiving financial aid (College and University Food Bank Alliance, 2018). In the United States, two terms are used to categorize degrees of food insecurity: low food security and very low food security. Low food security is defined as "reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet" with "little or no indication of reduced food intake" (USDA, 2018b, para. 2). Very low food security is defined as "reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake" (USDA, 2018b, para. 2).

A College Student from a Low-Income Family Reports Not Eating