One in seven American households is food insecure

An estimated 14.3 percent of American households, or one out of seven, often had trouble buying enough food or affording enough nutritious food last year, said the Agriculture Department. The “food insecurity” figure was almost the same as in 2012 but has declined from 14.9 percent in 2011. Rates surged during the 2008-09 recession and remain high.

Some 5.6 percent of households rated as “very low food security,” meaning multiple days when adults skipped meals or reduced meal size because there was not enough food. The rate was essentially unchanged from the two preceding years.

The think tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said, “The persistence of high food insecurity in the aftermath of the recession shows that the economic recovery has failed to reach many low-income families.” One in five households with children was food insecure, raising the risk of chronic health problems, it said.

“Hunger continues to plague too many Americans,” said Jim Weill, head of the anti-hunger Food Research and Action Center, in calling for higher wage rates and programs to assure people get an adequate supply of food. Weill said Congress should look at improving food-stamp benefits, rather than cutting them, as proposed by Republican conservatives.

Food insecurity was more common in large cities and rural areas than in suburban and exurban areas,” said USDA’s Household Food Security report. Rates were substantially higher among low-income households, families of single parents with children, and in Black and Hispanic households. Arkansas had the highest state level, at 21.2 percent and North Dakota was lowest at 8.7 percent.

Households deemed “food secure” spent 30 percent more on food than food insecure households.

Table 1A, beginning on page 6 of the report, shows food insecurity in household and among individuals. The food insecurity rate for individuals is 15.8 percent, or 49 million people; the very low food security rate for individuals is 5.5 percent, or 17.1 million people, of a population of 311 million.

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