(Newswire.net — September 10, 2015) — US household’s food insecurity in 2014 was down since 2011, however, it still presents an alarmingly high percentage. The hunger report published by the Department of Agriculture Research Service stated, “14.0 percent (17.4 million households) were food insecure.” Insecure, meaning their access to adequate food was limited due to lack of money or resources.
In 2014, 5.6 percent of U.S. households (6.9 million households) had very low food security, which makes a sum of almost 20 percent of US households that cannot afford decent healthy meals throughout the year.
Due to the limited resources, the food intake of some household members was reduced and normal eating patterns were disrupted, the report reads.
According to the report, “children were food insecure at times during the year in 9.4 percent of U.S. households with children (3.7 million households), essentially unchanged from 9.9 percent in 2013.”
In 422,000 households surveyed in 2014, the survey found very low food security even though the USDA’s food and nutrition assistance programs increased food security by providing low-income households access to food, a healthful diet, and nutrition education.
The report showed that for some groups the rates of food insecurity were substantially higher than the national average. This includes households with children headed by single women or single men, women living alone, and Black and Hispanic-headed households.
In addition, the food insecurity rate was highest in rural areas, moderate in large cities, and lowest in suburban and exurban areas around large cities.
The food insecurity differs from state to state. According to the report, “estimated prevalence of food insecurity in 2012-14 ranged from 8.4 percent in North Dakota to 22.0 percent in Mississippi; estimated prevalence rates of very low food security ranged from 2.9 percent in North Dakota to 8.1 percent in Arkansas.”
According to the survey, 61 percent of food-insecure households had participated in at least one of the three largest Federal food and nutrition assistance programs (SNAP; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and National School Lunch Program).