Food Hardship Report Details Widespread U.S. Hunger

by Greg Plotkin · 2010-01-28 16:22:00 UTC
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A new report released this week by the Food Research Action Center (FRAC) provides the most localized and up-to-date statistics available on the true reach of food hardship in America. The news is not good. The report, compiled using responses to a year-long Gallup survey, analyzes hunger statistics through December 2009, and breaks down the numbers by every Congressional District and over 100 of the country's largest metropolitan areas.

Among the report's most grim findings is that during 2009, one in five Americans said they lacked the financial resources to provide an adequate amount of food for their families.

Furthermore, the report confirms a trend we've discussed before on Poverty in America and that, unfortunately, seems to still be true: families with children are disproportionately affected by hunger. The report found that households with children face food hardship at a rate of 1.62 times that of households without young mouths to feed.

While the numbers actually point to a leveling off of rates of food insecurity, FRAC attributes this to declining food prices throughout 2009 and increased enrollment in the federal food stamp program.

Perhaps the report's greatest utility, as Daniela Perdomo over at AlterNet points out, will be in helping to prod elected officials to finally take action to counter the effects of rampant food insecurity in communities across the nation. Since the data breaks down hunger by Congressional District -- and with 71 percent of the districts having food hardship rates higher than 15 percent -- it seems as though it's no longer possible for our leaders to hide behind a lack of reliable information on where hunger has hit hardest.

If you want to know how your community in doing in terms of food hardship, I encourage you to check out the full report (pdf).  Be sure to let your elected leaders know if you think they should be doing more to make sure no man, woman or child in this country ever goes hungry.

Photo credit: IndyDina with Mr. Wonderful

Greg Plotkin currently works for Flying Pigs Farm in Shushan, NY. He is dedicated to eliminating inequalities in who has access to healthy food and alleviating hunger.

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