As Americans all across the country report feeling increasingly pressed by inflated food prices, an explosive new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveals that about 18 million families — or 13.5% of U.S. households — struggled to access enough food, marking the highest levels of food insecurity in nearly a decade.
This increase represents a troubling spike from 2022, when 12.8% of households reported insecurity, and 2021, when the figure was just over 10%.
The report also highlights another alarming reality: Nearly 9% of households with children experienced food insecurity, up from 2021. And while, as the report authors put it, children are “usually shielded from the disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake that characterize very low food security,” over 380,000 families experienced days where children were hungry, skipped a meal or did not eat for a whole day because there was not enough money for food.
According to report authors Matthew P. Rabbitt, Madeline Reed-Jones, Laura J. Hales and Michael P. Burke, the survey included “30,863 households, which comprised a representative sample of the U.S. civilian population of about 133 million households.” Researchers asked one adult respondent per household about experiences and behaviors that indicate food insecurity during calendar year 2023, such as being unable to afford balanced meals, cutting the size of meals, or being hungry because of too little money for food. The food security status of the household was assigned based on the number of food-insecure conditions reported.
In response to the report, Eric Mitchell, president of the Alliance to End Hunger, expressed outrage at the growing hunger crisis. “This damning report shows that hunger in America is getting worse, not better,” Mitchell said in a statement. “Policymakers must take immediate and decisive action to reverse these deeply troubling trends.”
Mitchell characterized the current situation as “unconscionable,” noting that food insecurity disproportionately impacts Black and Hispanic households and those living in poverty. Additionally, single-parent households, households headed by women, and those in rural and urban regions of the U.S. — as opposed to the suburbs — experienced disproportionately high rates of food insecurity.
“The data are clear: last year, food insecurity among Black and Hispanic Americans was more than twice as high as White Americans, and afflicted nearly 40% of people at or below the poverty threshold,” Mitchell said. “These persistent disparities reflect the systemic economic and health inequities that continue to plague our country.”
While it might be tempting to solely attribute the spike in hunger to food inflation, food insecurity experts including Mitchell and Crystal FitzSimons, interim president of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), point to pandemic-era programs that successfully aided in addressing the issue during a time of global upheaval.
Many of these programs, which temporarily boosted SNAP benefits, allowed for the implementation of universal free school meals and expanded the Child Tax Credit, were a lifeline for families. However, many of those same programs expired or were rolled back, leaving households who had participated in them struggling to make ends meet.
(This is reflected in the data in the USDA’s new report, which shows that 47.4 million people lived in households experiencing food insecurity last year, an increase of 3.2 million compared to 2022, and 13.5 million compared to 2021.)
“Without greater investments in anti-poverty and anti-hunger programs, hunger in this country will continue to climb. The findings in USDA’s report highlight the need to make significant investments in and expand proven programs like SNAP, Healthy School Meals for All, and the Child Tax Credit,” FitzSimmons wrote in a statement. “We have the tools to end hunger in America. It’s time to wield them and finally make hunger in America a thing of the past.”
She continued: “FRAC is deeply concerned that a growing number of families in America struggle to put food on the table. The latest Household Food Security report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service confirms FRAC’s ongoing warning: Without greater investments in anti-poverty and anti-hunger programs, hunger in this country will continue to climb.”
FitzSimons emphasized that proposals to cut SNAP benefits — like the $30 billion reduction over the next decade currently under consideration — would only worsen the problem.
“This is why FRAC and more than 1,400 national, state, and local organizations signed a letter urging Congress to strengthen SNAP benefits and protect SNAP from any cuts in the Farm Bill or any other legislative vehicles moving forward,” FitzSimmons said. “Congress also should make free Healthy School Meals for All available to all students, reinstating the policy that was so successful during the pandemic and following in the footsteps of the eight states that have passed Healthy School Meals for All policies.”
As hunger in the U.S. reaches its highest levels in years, advocates are urging policymakers to act swiftly.
“This report must be a wakeup call for every American,” Mitchell concluded. “We urge policymakers to act now, before more families fall deeper into hunger and poverty.”
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $150,000 in one-time donations and to add 1,500 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy