Home and wild food procurement interacts with local food purchasing to improve dietary quality among food-insecure households: Evidence from a cross-sectional study in two rural U.S. States

This study uses cross-sectional survey data (n = 1,438) from Maine and Vermont, USA, to examine how home and wild food procurement (HWFP, including fishing, foraging, gardening, hunting, and raising backyard animals) and direct-to-consumer (DTC) purchasing correlate with dietary quality, measured using the Prime Diet Quality Score. Food-insecure respondents relied more on HWFP, while food-secure respondents relied more on DTC outlets. Both were associated with higher dietary quality, especially among food-insecure individuals, though combining both strategies was associated with diminishing returns. These findings suggest the potential value of policies promoting access to these food procurement strategies.