Current:Home > reviewsFood insecurity shot up last year with inflation and the end of pandemic-era aid, a new report says-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Food insecurity shot up last year with inflation and the end of pandemic-era aid, a new report says
lotradecoin privacy View Date:2024-12-25 16:39:28
WASHINGTON (AP) — An estimated 17 million households reported problems finding enough food in 2022 — a sharp jump from 2021 when boosted government aid helped ease the pandemic-induced economic shutdown.
A new Department of Agriculture report, released Wednesday, paints a sobering picture of post-pandemic hardship with “statistically significant” increases in food insecurity across multiple categories. Using a representative survey sample of roughly 32,000 American households the report said 12.8% (17 million households) reported occasional problems affording enough food — up from 10.2% (13.5 million households) in 2021 and 10.5% (13.8 million households) in 2020. This is up from 10.2% (13.5 million households) in 2021 and 10.5% (13.8 million households) in 2020.
Analysts and food security professionals point to the dual impact last year of high inflation and the gradual expiration of multiple pandemic-era government assistance measures.
“This underscores how the unwinding of the pandemic interventions and the rising costs of food has taken hold,” said Geri Henchy, director of nutrition policy for the Food Research and Action Center. “It’s like a horrible storm for families.”
The number of households reporting more serious forms of economic hardship also increased. Wednesday’s report by the USDA’s Economic Research Service also tracks families with “very low food security” — a condition it defines as families having to ration food consumption and where “normal eating patterns were disrupted at times during the year because of limited resources.”
Households experiencing this level of hardship in 2022 rose to 5.1% (6.8 million households), up from 3.8% (5.1 million households) in 2021 and 3.9% (5.1 million households) in 2020.
Increased benefits and more relaxed enrollment rules for SNAP — the foundational government assistance program commonly known as food stamps — didn’t end until early this year. But a host of other federal and state-level pandemic aid initiatives wound down last year. One key national change that Henchy highlighted was the end of universal free school lunches for all students, a policy that ended over the summer of 2022.
“These were healthy, nutritious meals because the schools had good standards,” she said. “It was great for the kids. It was stigma-free, and it was huge for people’s budgets.”
These findings broadly mirror real-time anecdotes from late last year, when multiple food banks and charitable groups reported being surprised by the higher-than-expected levels of need entering the 2022 holiday season. In several cases last year, food banks and charities made educated estimates of how much food they would need to distribute, only to find that those predictions were far too low.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called the survey results “unacceptable” and said the rising level of need “should be a wake-up call to those wanting to further roll back our anti-poverty and anti-hunger programs.”
Vilsack highlighted the increased fruit and vegetable benefits for recipients of WIC — an aid program that specifically targets mothers and young children. The increased WIC benefits package is one of the few pandemic policies that’s continuing, although there have been proposals in Congress to bring those benefits down to pre-pandemic levels.
“The experience of the pandemic showed us that when government invests in meaningful support for families, we can make a positive impact on food security, even during challenging economic times,” Vilsack said in a statement Wednesday. “No child should go hungry in America. The report is a stark reminder of the consequences of shrinking our proven safety net.”
veryGood! (986)
Related
- Bristol Palin Shares 15-Year-Old Son Tripp Has Moved Back to Alaska
- Takeaways from an AP and Texas Tribune report on 24 hours along the US-Mexico border
- What’s My Secret to a Juicy, Moist Pout? This $13 Lip Gloss That Has Reviewers (and Me) Obsessed
- Margaret Qualley Reveals Why Husband Jack Antonoff Lied to Her “First Crush” Adam Sandler
- Jim Harbaugh wants to hire Colin Kaepernick to Chargers' coaching staff. Will the QB bite?
- Fall kills climber and strands partner on Wyoming’s Devils Tower
- New York court is set to hear Donald Trump’s appeal of his $489 million civil fraud verdict
- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Star Eduardo Xol Dead at 58 After Stabbing Attack
- Collin Gosselin claims he was discharged from Marines due to institutionalization by mom Kate
- Anna Sorokin eliminated from ‘Dancing With the Stars’ in first round of cuts
Ranking
- These six House races are ones to watch in this year’s election
- Anna Sorokin eliminated from ‘Dancing With the Stars’ in first round of cuts
- Campeones Cup final live updates: Columbus Crew vs. Club América winner, how to stream
- Spotted: Katie Holmes With a $35 Tote & Rocking the Barn Jacket Trend (Plus Affordable Picks Under $100)
- New York county signs controversial mask ban meant to hide people's identities in public
- Ellen DeGeneres says she went to therapy amid toxic workplace scandal in final comedy special
- The northern lights might again be visible in the US as solar activity increases
- Aging and ailing, ‘Message Tree’ at Woodstock concert site is reluctantly cut down
Recommendation
-
Hideki Matsuyama will be without regular caddie, coach after their passports and visas were stolen
-
DWTS’ Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko Detail “Chemistry” After Addressing Romance Rumors
-
Meta unveils cheaper VR headset, AI updates and shows off prototype for holographic AR glasses
-
Maryland files lawsuit against cargo ship owners in Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse
-
How 'Millionaire' host Jimmy Kimmel helped Team Barinholtz win stunning top prize
-
Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty advance, will meet in semifinals of 2024 WNBA playoffs
-
Pennsylvania high court asked to keep counties from tossing ballots lacking a date
-
Aging and ailing, ‘Message Tree’ at Woodstock concert site is reluctantly cut down