Hunger struggle grows worse for some in USA

Research finds that fewer go without adequate meals, but ‘food budget shortfall’ is getting larger

The number of Americans who are eating poor-quality food or skipping meals dropped slightly in 2015, new research shows — but for those who aren’t always sure where their next meal is coming from, the struggle to pay for food is actually worsening, a hunger advocacy group says.

The gap between how much these folks earn and what they need to survive — the “food budget shortfall” — is growing, the Chicago-based non-profit Feeding America said. The gap grew to nearly $530 annually.

That’s not per family — it’s per person. Accounting for inflation, it’s 13% higher than in 2008, at the beginning of the recession. It suggests that though fewer people are facing hunger, those who are struggle more these days to make ends meet and feed their families.

Ironically, the group says in a report out Thursday, many of these families actually now earn too much to qualify for federal nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known widely as food stamps, and free and reduced-priced school lunch programs.

About one in four people surveyed said they’ve tried but can’t qualify for food stamps for their family or free and reduced-price school meals for their kids.

Currently, a family of four must earn about $24,000 a year or less to qualify for food stamps.

In its annual report, Feeding America said that in nearly every county in the U.S., children are at a higher risk of “food insecurity” than others: about one in five children are food-insecure, compared with 14% across all age groups.

In 14 counties, more than 100,000 children don’t always know where their next meal is coming from.

“It is alarming and unacceptable that so many people cannot access enough nutritious food,” said Diana Aviv, the group’s CEO.

She said the new report “documents the pervasiveness of hunger across our nation, and the food budget shortfall demonstrates that life is getting tougher for people facing hunger. In every county and congressional district, far too many Americans are having a difficult time trying to feed themselves and their families.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as any instance in which someone reports having to eat poor-quality food or, in worse situations, reports “multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns” and eating less than necessary.

Since the end of the recession, the number of Americans identified by USDA as food-insecure has actually fallen, from 50 million in 2009 to 42 million in 2015, the most recent year for which data are available.

The group found that people living in rural counties and in the South are at greater risk than in the rest of the U.S.: 76% of counties with the highest rates of food insecurity are rural, and about 89% of counties with the highest rates of food insecurity are in the South.

Aviv said the findings underscore the need for federal nutrition programs, particularly SNAP, and for charitable food assistance such as food banks.