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USDA Reports Huge Jump In Hungry Americans

Hunger levels at highest point since 1995, agency says

November 17, 2009
More U.S. households are "food insecure," the U. S. Agriculture Department says, a result of a bad economy and high unemployment.

USDA's Economic Research Service's annual report on Household Food Security in the U.S., which revealed that in 2008, 17 million households, or 14.6 percent, were food insecure and families had difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year.

That's an increase from 13 million households, or 11.1 percent, in 2007. The 2008 figures represent the highest level observed since nationally representative food security surveys were initiated in 1995.

"The Obama Administration has put in place unprecedented measures to promote job creation and combat hunger in our nation, a problem that the American sense of fairness should not tolerate and American ingenuity can overcome, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "The Department of Agriculture's nutrition assistance programs provide a safety net that improves food access to those with critical needs, but addressing the root of hunger requires a broader strategy. By improving access to federal nutrition programs and working with our partners at all levels of government and society, we can make progress in our effort to reduce and eventually eliminate childhood hunger."

This year's report also reveals that one third of food insecure households had very low food security, meaning that food intake of some household members was reduced and their eating patterns disrupted at times during the year. This is 5.7 percent of all U.S. households or about 6.7 million. This is up from 4.7 million households in 2007, and the highest level observed since nationally representative food security surveys were initiated in 1995.

Even when resources are inadequate to provide food for the entire family, children are usually shielded from the disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake that characterize very low food security.

However, children as well as adults experienced instances of very low food security in 506,000 households in 2008, up from 323,000 households in 2007.

The fundamental cause of food insecurity and hunger in the United States is poverty -- marked by a lack of adequate resources to address basic needs such as food, shelter and health care, USDA said. The agency said the administration has taken aggressive action to alleviate hunger, but these efforts have yet to show results.

Vilsack said the report should spur Congress to pass the Child Nutrition Reauthorization.

"It is vital that we make it easier for families and administrators to bring eligible children into the program and to eliminate gap periods when children struggle to find the nutrition assistance they need - at breakfast, during summer, and in after-school settings," Vilsak said.

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