VULNERABILITY REVEALED:

COVID-19 and the Hudson Valley Food System

This report explores the growing issue of food insecurity in the Hudson Valley, recent disruptions to food supply, and ways to improve our regional food system and increase access to food.

The recent news is full of images from across the country of people waiting in long lines that sometimes stretch for miles to pick up groceries from drive through food pantries. Food banks, local governments, and others who help with food access are overwhelmed by the sudden rise in need. Here in the Hudson Valley, county and municipal governments have redirected resources to meet the urgent and dire situation of food insecurity, and many others have joined the effort to assist those most in need.

Not only are millions of Americans struggling to afford to put food on the table, the food supply chain that we all rely on for our groceries is facing disruptions.

The food system in this country is a complex web. Several components of this web are beginning to fail due to the current crisis. These failures have ripple effects throughout the system that affects food access for consumers.