Real Talk

What Families Need To Know About Food Security

by Kevyn Gohu
July 8, 2025

With National Nutrition Month 2025 in full swing and its theme being food security, this is what it means

Every parent is aware of the impact nutrition has on kids. However, it’s a different story to be able to afford and get the food. That’s what Food Security is all about; procuring, processing, and presenting the food are just part of it. The logistics of making sure food is easily accessible for families play a big role, too! So, how can families secure food for themselves while helping others do so too?

The Logistics of Food Security

Usually, the choke point for food security is making sure the produce reaches places that are accessible to families. Wet markets, supermarkets, and restaurants are all access points for families. But the real struggle of the problem is the cost of bringing the goods and the quality. Often, those who ensure this are usually referred to as “middlemen” or contractually known as purchase or procurement officers. Farmers often struggle to deal with them due to the demand for quality and the haggling prices.

For many families that run a grocery-type business, having a certain level of quality makes sense. How else will they gain the trust of families to continue patronizing their store if they don’t stay consistent with their goods? They also have to pay for overhead and the like.

Ultimately, the burden then falls on the consumers or the many families who need these goods. Thus, the long-standing problem of food security isn’t just a lack of supplies. It’s a lack of accessibility. We’ve heard too many heartbreaking stories about farmers throwing away their produce because they were told that the produce “did not match the quality.”

Is it possible to directly go to these providers?

Considering the many bridges like the CAVITEX, CALAX, SLEX, and NLEX, there are more ways to reach these farms or producers in a shorter time. What families may need is a bigger car or, at least, a car that has enough trunk space to bring some of these products down themselves.

Of course, it’ll feel silly at first to buy twenty to thirty kilos of produce. But what if we can distribute them to other families or organizations that need them? And if we can’t go door to door, there are soup kitchens or pet shelters in certain barangays that make sure everyone has a meal.

Some of these providers also put a limit which is what can feel intimidating at first. But if we do the math, sometimes, it’s better to buy in bulk. Twenty kilos of tomatoes can easily turn into twenty kilos of sauce, which we’ll easily use up for recipes like menudo, kaldereta, and spaghetti. Twenty kilos of lettuce can turn into twenty salads. All it takes is one person willing to do the logistics, and the money can be pooled together to afford it.

Other ways families can help each other achieve food security

Besides supplying the nearby soup kitchens and pet shelters, reducing the waste from our kitchens helps. If we buy groceries, then make sure to use the ingredients within the week. Or at least, buy enough for the week. Even with sudden events, making time to use those ingredients so they don’t go to waste reduces the amount of food insecurity. Everyone will have a higher chance of eating as we keep using our ingredients before they go bad.

Now, if we really can’t see ourselves finishing all the food, we can pack up some of it and give it to people who need the food. Maybe the friendly neighborhood guard, the household help, or whoever we feel needs food.

Fighting food insecurity is a community effort, and it starts with little efforts at home. It may take a bit of budgeting and coordination but, it’s a whole lot better than wasting perfectly good ingredients!