Heflin Quoted in New York Times Article on the Impact of Increasing Food Prices on Seniors

February 15, 2023

The New York Times

Colleen Heflin

Public Administration & International Affairs Department

Center for Policy Research

Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

Aging

Food Security

United States

The New York Times

Colleen Heflin

Across the U.S., food prices at grocery stores and restaurants are rising, altering how many Americans—including a good number older than 65—shop and eat out.

Experts worry that older individuals who are in poor physical or mental health or have lower incomes are at greater risk for not having enough food or for eating less health foods. The squeeze also has the potential to isolate them socially.

“The lack of access to food can make older Americans more socially isolated,” says Colleen Heflin, professor and chair of public administration and international affairs. “For some, it can mean the end of Sunday dinners at their house because they can no longer afford to feed their families.

“Food, for many older adults, is a way to bring family to you, and if you cannot afford it, you’re either not going to do it or you’re going to have less food for yourself later in the week because you value that interaction so highly,” she says.

Read more in the New York Times article, "Food Prices Weigh on Seniors’ Savings, Health and Even Social Ties."