People are considered to have very low food security, if they had to eat less or their eating patterns were disrupted during the year because they couldn't afford enough food. Households or individuals are classified by USDA as food insecure, if they had trouble finding enough food at some point during the year. “They paint a picture of just how many Americans faced the heartbreaking challenge last year of struggling to meet a basic need for themselves and their children, and the survey responses should be a wake-up call to those wanting to further roll back our anti-poverty and anti-hunger programs.” “These numbers are more than statistics,” Vilsack said. He said food insecurity started to increase as the pandemic began to wane in 2022. The cost of eating at home has risen by an average of 2.5% over the past 20 years.Īgriculture Security Tom Vilsack called the report a “sobering reminder” of the struggles many face to put food on the table. Supermarket prices skyrocketed by 11.4% in 2022 after an increase of 3.5% in 2021. The increase in food insecurity coincided with soaring food inflation.
