Study links employee food insecurity to reduced work engagement

Food insecurity can increase anxiety and undermine employees at work, but workplace programs to address it can improve job outcomes, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

There is an implicit assumption that food insecurity primarily affects unemployed people, but it's a pervasive issue that impacts a sizable portion of the workforce. We hope business leaders can change their mindset and understand that supporting employees facing food insecurity extends beyond humanitarian concerns and benefits the businesses themselves."

Jason Moy, MS, lead researcher, doctoral student in organizational behavior, University of Washington

Food insecurity refers to fear or anxiety about not being able to afford enough food to survive, which can lead to cutting back on food purchases or skipping meals. More than 47 million people, or 13% of U.S. households, experienced food insecurity in 2023, according to a 2024 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Previous research has found that food insecurity is associated with increased risks of hypertension, anemia, asthma, anxiety, depression and sleeping and eating disorders. 

The current study, which was published online in the Journal of Applied Psychology, included three experiments. In an online experiment with 375 U.S. working adults who had previously experienced food insecurity, the participants were divided into two groups who were asked to recall either their most recent experience of food insecurity or when food was readily available. Both groups then wrote about their feelings and behaviors at work that day. Participants who recalled food insecurity reported much higher anxiety and significantly lower task performance, lower work engagement, and providing less help to co-workers. 

In the second experiment, 567 U.S. working adults who had experienced food insecurity kept weekly diaries for one month. Participants who reported higher food insecurity during that month also reported higher anxiety and lower task performance and work engagement. 

A final field experiment was conducted in Pakistan with 196 workers who were randomly assigned to receive either a food package or a package of cleaning and hygiene products. The participants who received food reported significantly lower anxiety with beneficial effects on work performance and task engagement. 

Based on the findings, businesses shouldn't just rely on nonprofit organizations and governmental assistance when the businesses could provide food for their own employees facing food insecurity, Moy said. Employers could offer free or discounted food through grocery store vouchers, workplace food pantries, community gardens or free transportation to food banks.

"We want to highlight that business leaders should support their employees who face food insecurity because doing so, in turn, benefits the businesses themselves," Moy said.