Food worries hit 10% of N.Y. homes: study

About 10% of New York households experienced food insecurity between 2019 and 2021, according to a report published Wednesday.

That number mirrors the national average and reflects improvements in recent years driven by federal aid.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who released the study, warned that food insecurity may get worse with high food prices and the expiration of federal relief programs.

On Wednesday, New York and states around the nation were bracing for the expiration of a COVIDera federal policy that has provided for additional food stamp benefits for low-income Americans. The boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits was first approved by Congress in March 2020.

In New York City alone, the shift this month is expected to affect about 1.7 million low-income residents.

“Federal aid helped New Yorkers put food on the table during the pandemic, but some relief programs are ending as inflation and other pressures are pushing household budgets to their limit,” DiNapoli, a Democrat, said.

His report urged an expansion of SNAP benefits in Washington, and suggested improvements to outreach. Nearly 3 million New York households were enrolled in SNAP at the end of last year, according to the DiNapoli’s office.

The comptroller’s office said the rate of families experiencing food insecurity dropped sharply after peaking at more than 14% between 2012 and 2014, but has improved only marginally since the start of the pandemic.

The share dropped from 10.8% between 2017 and 2019 to 10.3% between 2019 and 2021, DiNapoli’s office found. About 800,000 households felt food insecurity at some point between in the latest three-year period, according to the report.

“With all the challenges people are facing during these difficult times, we should ensure New Yorkers don’t go hungry,” DiNapoli said. “Our nation’s nutrition programs should be expanded to help those who are struggling to feed themselves and their families.”