To be food secure in the United States, all members of a household must have “access to enough food for an active, healthy life,” according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This includes access to nutritious foods at any time and the ability to get food without resorting to coping strategies. Coping strategies include emergency food supplies, scavenging, and stealing.
On the other end of the spectrum is food insecurity. For a household to be food insecure people must not have access to, or have limited access to, “nutritionally adequate and safe foods,” according to the USDA.
Factors that impact food security are availability, use, and access to different foods, according to a Protect The Harvest article on food insecurity.
Hunger Statistics
According to a Newsweek article, from 2009 to 2023, the U.S. held a top spot on the G7 for Americans’ inability to afford food. One-in-four Americans surveyed in a Gallup study shared that there have been times when they could not afford food, representing approximately 26 percent of those people surveyed.
In 2022, 12.8 percent of households faced food insecurity, according to the same Newsweek article. That same year, 100 percent of counties in the U.S. reported having food-insecure residents, according to a Feeding America report on food insecurity in the U.S. In an effort to cope with food insecurity, 49 million people turned to food programs to feed themselves and their families, according to the report.
“Our nation is facing a hunger crisis,” said Kelly Horton, interim president of Food Research & Action (FRAC) in the Newsweek article. “Even as one of the wealthiest nations in the world, about 44.2 million people live in households that struggle with hunger.” That’s five million more people than live in Canada!
Price Shifts
Halfway through the year, entering July 2024, it is safe to say food insecurity across America is increasing. Going into the year, USDA predicted a 2.9 percent increase in food prices, according to a Newsweek article from January 2024.
This number is nearly half of the 5.8 percent increase in food prices seen in 2023. While food inflation has slowed slightly, this does not mean the challenge will end as the cost of living continues to increase across the country.
Consumer prices across the board increased 3.1 percent from January 2023 to January 2024, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report (BLS). In the same report it is stated that food prices specifically increased year-over-year 2.6 percent from January 2023.
According to a USDA report on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food, food prices were 2.1 percent higher from May 2023 to May 2024. As the year continues, the incline continues. USDA reported that the CPI for all food in the U.S. increased by 0.1 percent from April 2024 to May 2024. This number may not seem significant, but it compounds over time. If the CPI continues to increase at this rate, it will reach nearly 1 percent from June 2024 to December 2024.
Deceleration in 2024
Among all the bad, there is some good news. While numbers continue to rise, it is important to note that food prices have increased less in 2024 when compared to recent years, according to a USDA report. The report states the previously predicted 2.9 percent increase has been decreased to a total increase of 2.2 percent in 2024, reducing the forecasted increase by 0.7 percent.
This is significant as the annual increase from 2021 to 2023 has climbed yearly according to the same USDA report. In 2021 food prices increased 3.9 percent. In 2022 food prices increased by 9.9 percent; the most rapid increase in food prices since 1979. In 2023 food prices increased by 5.8 percent; the start of the slowing trend we are continuing to see in 2024. Nevertheless, the numbers compound and result in a massive increase over the past 3-4 years.
Who is Affected by Food Insecurity
No group is immune to food insecurity. However, there are certain demographics that, on average, feel its effects more than others. College students, families with older adults, people of color, rural communities, those living on fixed incomes, and veterans are hardest hit.
College Students
Food security is often a worry for college students already on a tight budget. Today, one in three college students feel food insecure, according to a University of California, Davis, study in a CBS article. To combat this, there are now 800 food pantries on college campuses across the U.S. Ten years ago, there were only 80. This tenfold increase underscores the sheer magnitude of food insecurity growing among college students.
Families With Older Adults
A recent study done by HealthDay revealed food insecurity among families with older adults has nearly doubled over the past 20 years, according to a press release from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio. A stark comparison from a JAMA Health Forum study showed that food insecurity increased from 1999-2003 to 2015-2019 by 10.6 percent, according to the same Health Policy Institute of Ohio press release.
People Of Color
In the U.S., almost 13 million Latino Americans are food insecure, according to the USDA in a Feeding America report on food insecurity across different communities. In 2022, 20 percent of Latinos experienced food insecurity.
That number remained constant among Black Americans as 20 also experienced food insecurity in 2022, according to the Feeding America report. Almost 23 percent of blacks were food insecure in 2022. That number is roughly nine million people. This number is almost two-and-a-half times the rate of White Americans facing food insecurity, according to the same report.
One-in-18 Asian Americans are food insecure, according to the Feeding America Report. That is roughly six percent of their population. As for Pacific Islanders, nearly 1-in-5 experience food insecurity, roughly 19 percent of their population.
Rural Communities
Rural communities are hit the hardest by food insecurity. According to the Feeding America report, ninety percent of counties with the highest food insecurity rates in the U.S. are rural. This is especially daunting when considering rural areas make up almost two-thirds of all counties in the U.S., and it’s where the majority of food is produced! According to Newsweek, rural areas faced a level of 14.7 percent food insecurity in 2022.
For rural communities, there are three main factors that contribute to their higher-than-average rates of food insecurity. They lack transportation, have low incomes, and suffer from high unemployment. Many rural communities are also farther away from food banks and grocery stores, resulting in “food deserts.” This makes it hard for low-income families without reliable transportation to have readily accessible, safe, nutritious, affordable, abundant food. In addition to a lack of transportation, people in rural communities often face an uphill battle in finding full-time employment. Often, when they do find employment, it is at a lower wage, making it difficult to afford basic necessities.
Veterans
Those who serve, or have served America, face some of the highest rates of food insecurity in the U.S. According to Feeding America report, 1-in-9 veterans are currently food insecure, and 1.2 million veterans use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called food stamps. In 2020, 24 percent of active-duty service members faced food insecurity.
Ballot Measures Result in Greater Food Insecurity
Ballot measures, such as California Proposition 2 and Massachusetts Question 3, are a large part of the increased food prices Americans are experiencing today, according to a Protect The Harvest Article on understanding food security.
California Prop 2 went into effect in January 2015. Its extreme regulations on egg farmers forced many to leave the state, resulting in increased prices consumers pay for eggs, according to a Protect The Harvest article. Massachusetts Question 3 was a similar ballot initiative, funded by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and their affiliated animal rights extremist groups. According to the article, Massachusetts Question 3 passed in November 2016, driving up the cost of eggs, beef, and pork in the state.
Unfortunately, ballot measures such as these continue to be introduced by animal rights and environmental extremist groups. The people and groups behind these efforts disregard the harm they are inflicting on people who are simply trying to put food on the table.
Looking To the Future
While the easing of food inflation in 2024 is encouraging, it is important to note prices are still rising, just at a slower rate. For a variety of reasons, not the least of which is poor public policymaking at the federal level and crusading activists, we will likely see continued annual increases in the cost of living and food prices. It is important to stay informed about what is proposed at the local, state, and national levels.
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with food insecurity, there is help. Local food banks, as well as programs including USDA’s SNAP and WIC (Women, Infants and Children) are in place to help alleviate the pressures of food insecurity for individuals and families.
Helpful Links
Newsweek on 2024 Projected Prices HERE
USDA on Food Security HERE
