Agri-Pulse reports:
Some 13.5% of U.S. households had trouble getting enough food in 2023, up from 12.8% the year before, as food insecurity among Americans continued to rise, USDA reported Wednesday.
The food insecurity rate had jumped even more in 2022, rising from 10.2% in 2021. That was the largest annual increase recorded by the agency since 2008.
The 2023 rate is just below the highest recorded rate of insecurity of 14% in 2014. About 18 million households were classified as food insecure in 2023.
These results come as American consumers remain concerned about the rising cost of living and food prices. While inflation has slowed since the COVID-19 pandemic, at-home food prices are still significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels due to a number of factors.
Anti-hunger advocates called the report “damning” and said lawmakers need to take immediate action to reverse this trend.
“This report must be a wakeup call for every American,” said Eric Mitchell, president of the Alliance to End Hunger, in a statement. “We urge policymakers to act now.”
The study found that 17.9% of households with children were food insecure at some point last year. In these households, both children and adults were insecure in 8.9% while only adults were insecure in about 9%.
In 1% of households with children, or about 374,000 households, food insecurity was so severe that caregivers said children were hungry, skipped a meal or did not eat for a whole day because of a lack of resources.
Last year 5.1% had very low food security, which represents a more severe range of insecurity. That number stayed the same from 2022, but is a jump from the 3.8% in 2021. Households with very low food security may have reduced food intake at points throughout the year, and normal eating patterns may be disrupted due to limited resources.
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