Nearly 25% of American adults are food insecure, a jump of about five percentage points from the previous year such a double whammy of high inflation and the end of Epidemic benefits More family budgets have shrunk, according to JED Stady.
Food insecurity Indicates That someone is not able to secure enough food for a nutritious diet, which may lead to skipping meals or eating less. Experts say these strategies can have implications for a person’s health and well-being.
The rise in food insecurity comes as the number of families increases Struggling to pay Their usual bills amid grocery costs, which have increased by 20% in two years, and rents, which have increased by 13%. Inflation last year rose to a four-decade high as many pandemic-related benefits expired, adding to financial stress for many, according to a new report from the Urban Institute.
“Food insecurity can be a canary in the coal mine for people experiencing high levels of hardship who are unable to make ends meet for their household needs,” Cassandra Martinchik, research assistant at the Center for Employment, Human Services, and Population at The Urban Institute, tells CBS MoneyWatch.
“It is a family economic situation where people do not have enough resources to get enough food for their family to lead an active or healthy life,” she added.
The study, which was based on a survey of nearly 8,000 adults in December, found that about 1 in 6 adults relied on charitable food, such as groceries or free meals, last year. By comparison, about 1 in 8 adults relied on food charities in 2019, before the pandemic hit, the study indicated.
Although more Americans are finding jobs — and the labor market remains strong — wages are not keeping up with inflation, which is eroding households’ purchasing power. And enrollment for food stamps remains high, with 42.6 million people receiving benefits as of December, about 15% higher than before the pandemic, according to the latest available data.
‘tough decisions’
The analysis found that nearly two-thirds of adults said grocery costs increased a lot in the past year, more than the percentage of Americans who said they felt the impact of higher gas prices, rents, childcare or health insurance.
The study found that adults whose grocery costs increased significantly were nearly twice as likely as other adults to be food insecure.
Food-insecure families may “have to make really tough decisions about whether they can afford rent and groceries or life-saving medicine and groceries,” Martinchik said.
She added that aside from people who are food insecure, nearly 10% of Americans worry about their ability to pay for food.
She noted that these are “people who feel they are only one emergency away from being able to meet their nutritional needs.”
She added that food insecurity could worsen in 2023 due to the impact of cuts to the Food Stamp Program. More than 30 countries Reduce food stamp benefits in March due to the end of the pandemic program to provide more funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
Martinchik noted that policy changes could address the relatively high levels of food insecurity in the United States. She said bringing back programs such as universal free school meals or an expanded child tax credit would help provide families with more resources to feed themselves and their children.
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