The number of Americans who lived in households that lacked consistent access to adequate food soared to 49 million last year, the highest since the Department of Agriculture began tracking "food insecurity" 14 years ago, the New York Times reports.
According to the Times, the increase of 13 million Americans was much larger than even the most pessimistic observers of hunger trends had expected and cast a light on the daily hardships caused by the recession. About a third of the struggling households are experiencing "very low food security," which means that a lack of money has forced members to skip meals, cut portions, or otherwise forgo food at some point during the year. The other two-thirds typically had enough to eat as long as they ate cheaper, less-varied foods, relied on government aid such as food stamps, or visited food pantries and soup kitchens.
Drawing officials' attention were the 506,000 households in which children faced "very low food security," up from 323,000 in 2007. In addition, about 37 percent of households with children headed by single parents reported some form of food insecurity, compared with 14 percent of married households with children. Serious problems were most prevalent in the South, followed equally by the West and Midwest.
Some conservatives have attacked the survey's methodology on the grounds that it's hard to define what it measures; indeed, the phrase "food insecurity" stems from years of political and academic wrangling over how to measure adequate access to food. James Weill, director of the Food Research and Action Center, which pioneered the report, called the study a careful look at an underappreciated condition. "Many people are outright hungry, skipping meals," Weill told the Times. "Others say they have enough to eat but only because they're going to food pantries or using food stamps. We describe it as 'households struggling with hunger.'"
DeParle, Jason. "Hunger in U.S. at a 14-Year High." New York Times 11/16/09. http://bit.ly/63fFsk; http://pndapps.fdncenter.org/link/20013340/1.
