Diet Quality Following Food Pantry Visit Differs by Ethnicity

Food insecurity is associated with poor diet quality and increased diet-related disease risk. Food pantry clients (n = 194) completed one 24-h dietary recall and the Healthy Eating Index-2015 was used to evaluate diet quality. Differences in diet quality relative to participants’ last food pantry visit and self-reported ethnicity were evaluated using two-way ANOVA. Food pantry visits within 1–4 days compared to ≥5 days were associated with higher diet quality in non-Hispanics (p= 0.01) but diet quality remained the same in Hispanics. Interventions to improve diet quality in food pantry users must consider potential ethnic differences when program planning.