Food-Security Status and Food-Purchase Decisions of Low- Income Households in Tennessee

Food security remains a challenge in the U.S. An-drews et al. (2000) reported that more than 30 mil-lion Americans lived in households that were food insecure in 1999. A recent work by Nord, Andrews, and Carlson (2003) indicates that 11.2 % of American households were food insecure at least sometime during the year. The authors note that this rate is not statistically different from what was observed for 2002 (11.1%). The percentage of those who are food insecure with hunger remained at 3.5 % in 2003. According to Rowley (2000), food insecurity among households in the Southern region has consistently been above the national average since 1995. Research by Siefert and Corcoran (2000) shows that an inadequate supply of food in households i