In 2022, 17 million households, including 1 million with children, experienced food insecurity due to inflation, high housing costs, and the end of pandemic food assistance. In 2022, 44.2 million Americans struggled to provide adequate food for "active, healthy living," according to a USDA report. As compared to the 13.5 million households that were food insecure the previous year, those numbers represent a significant increase in hunger or risk.
In 2022, 6.8 million households had very low food security. Limited resources caused some household members to reduce food intake and disrupt eating patterns during this more severe food insecurity stage. Despite the vast majority of Americans being able to feed themselves and their families affordably, too many of our neighbors struggle to feed themselves and their family's healthy food, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. More than statistics, these numbers tell a story. As a result, they illustrate just how many Americans struggled to meet basic needs for themselves and their children last year."
31948 households were surveyed nationally for the report. The report also found that more than one in 12 U.S. households containing children were food insecure, an increase of one million households from 2021. Families in those situations struggled to provide their children with adequate, nutritious food. According to Reuters, food banks and the federal government say hunger is on the rise as low-income Americans recover from the pandemic and lose expanded food assistance. On a Wednesday afternoon in downtown Salt Lake City, more than 125 cars waited in line for a food giveaway by the Utah Food Bank in a church parking lot in late 2021.
Even before the pandemic, food insecurity had been a national concern due to shrinking wages and job losses, as well as fewer school meal programs, the article said. It noted that pandemic assistance had stabilized the numbers somewhat. The South, Black Americans, and households with children suffered particularly then, as now. According to the Post article, there is a growing problem of hunger in rural and southern areas (14.7 percent compared to 12.5% in urban areas).
As a senior fellow at the Urban Institute who focuses on food insecurity, nutrition and health disparities, Elaine Waxman stated at the time that "children without adequate nutrition are more likely to develop developmental delays. Adolescents, on the other hand, can suffer from anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts if they do not get adequate nutrition. Diabetes is more likely to develop in adults who are food insecure. As a result of food insecurity, older adults physically age," the article stated. A 70-year-old's health status looks like that of a 14-year-old. There is a perception that food insecurity is a social welfare issue. In reality, it's a public health issue. Any short-term changes that have made it worse are things you'll need to live with for a long time. That's really concerning."
Last year, the Thrifty Meal Plan, which calculates federal food benefits, was revised. Similarly, it cited poor health as a result of nutrition insecurity. Children are usually protected from disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake, according to USDA report, but that wasn't the case for 381,000 households with children in 2022. There was not enough money for food, so the children went hungry, skipped meals, or didn't eat at all.
USDA data indicate that households with food security spend 15% more on food than those with food insecurity of the same size and composition. The majority of households with food insecurity received some outside assistance. The majority of them said they participated in at least one federal nutrition assistance program in the previous month: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), or the National School Lunch Program.