Progress May Plummet Amid COVID-19 Crisis
A new report released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) found food insecurity rates dropped in the United States in 2019, pre-COVID-19. One in 10 households (10.5 percent) were unable at times to provide adequate, nutritious food for their family in 2019 – a decline of 0.6 percentage points from 2018. This is the lowest rate of food insecurity since prior to the 2008 recession.
While the decline is encouraging, 35.2 million people, including 10.7 million children, faced hunger in America last year. That comes out to 1 in 9 individuals and 1 in 7 children who may have lived in food-insecure households, though child food insecurity rates did not decline significantly year-over-year. Some of the groups who experienced above-average rates of food insecurity include households with children headed by a single woman or man, households with children under age 6, households led by Black, non-Hispanic and Hispanic family members, and households with low incomes.
Additionally, the USDA’s report does not include the potential impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on millions of our neighbors nationwide. Feeding America earlier this year estimated up to 54 million people may experience food insecurity in 2020, including 18 million children, as a result of the pandemic – a glaring increase from the USDA’s 2019 findings.
“The USDA’s report showed promise that hunger was dwindling in America, but we know progress has been dismantled by COVID-19,” said Katie Fitzgerald, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Feeding America. “With more of our neighbors facing mounting hardships, the Feeding America network of 200 food banks and 60,000 partner agencies is doing its best to meet sustained, increased demand. But we can’t keep food insecurity rates down alone.”
Feeding America urges the public to continue supporting charitable food assistance through volunteering, donations and pledging to vote to feed America this November. Feeding America is also actively engaging with Congress and the Administration to increase the maximum Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit – the nation’s first line of defense against hunger – by 15 percent.
“A combination of these efforts may help our neighbors get out of food insecurity, because no one in America should ever go hungry,” said Fitzgerald.
The USDA’s report, Household Food Security in the United States in 2019, is published by USDA’s Economic Research Service and reports on data collected in December 2019. To see the full report, visit https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/99282/err-275.pdf?v=9263.7
Contact
Please contact one of our media representatives or call 800-771-2303
About Feeding America
Feeding America is committed to an America where no one is hungry. We support tens of millions of people who experience food insecurity to get the food and resources they say they need to thrive as part of a nationwide network of food banks, statewide food bank associations, food pantries and meal programs. We also invest in innovative solutions to increase equitable access to nutritious food, advocate for legislation that improves food security and work to address factors that impact food security, such as health, cost of living and employment. We partner with people experiencing food insecurity, policymakers, organizations, and supporters, united with them in a movement to end hunger. Visit FeedingAmerica.org to learn more.