Nutrition security under constraint: food shopping, cooking, and structural barriers among Mexican immigrants in the Bronx, NYC

Questions remain regarding how Mexican immigrants achieve nutrition security in the United States, particularly under poverty and in the wake of COVID-19. We employed creative qualitative methods (food maps, ethnographic interviews, photo and shopping receipt elicitation) during one food shopping and cooking event with 12 Spanish-dominant Mexican immigrants in the Bronx, New York. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we found that participants accessed food through a mosaic of venues - supermarkets, ethnic tiendas, live poultry and meat markets, and big-box stores. Bodegas were also used, but largely avoided for their higher prices. Nutrition security varied widely, shaped by gendered household responsibilities, children's influence, time, and transportation resources. Only three participants received SNAP benefits, and two accessed food pantries, underscoring how systematic barriers and immigration-related fears limited formal support. Despite constraints, participants consistently produced nutrient-rich, culturally resonant meals, drawing on traditional Latin American foodways and improvisational strategies to adapt to available ingredients. Findings demonstrate that nutrition security for immigrant households is contingent and fragile, sustained through disproportionate investments of time and effort. Policy and practice implications include expanding equitable access to food assistance, reducing the hidden time tax of dispersed shopping, and delivering culturally sensitive nutrition education that recognizes immigrant cooking expertise.