Contact us at [email protected]

Food insecurity – it runs deeper than you may think

Released: 
October 30, 2013

Nearly 15 percent of U.S. households were “food insecure” in 2011 – hungry, or uncertain about their food supply.

Today our partner site Planet Forward is hosting the Feeding the Planet Summit, where they'll be exploring food security and game-changing innovations in global security. Join Planet Forward for the all-day livestream and see an innovation showcase, GMO debate, tastemaker talk with celebrity chefs and more.

To prepare, we're looking at some previously released facts on food security. Today, take a look back at this fact on hunger in America:

We’ve addressed the recession’s impact on poverty. Hunger is directly related. Nearly 15 percent of U.S. households were defined as “food insecure” in 2011. That means they skipped meals, cut back on the quality and quantity of food, or relied on emergency sources. Food insecurity spiked as the recession took hold in 2007 and has not receded.

Minority households were more than twice as likely to be food insecure as white families.

57 percent of food insecure households said they relied on at least one of the three biggest federal food programs – SNAP (food stamps), WIC (aid to low-income women, infants and children), and reduced-cost or free school lunches.

Check out our infographic for more details. See “What Do Others Say?” for more on hunger in America, then add to the discussion below. What do you think the government’s role should be in addressing this issue? How do you feel about the funding assigned to food programs?