Census data suggests America's hunger problem may be waning, but food assistance continues to top...
Source: Washington Post
Business
Census data suggests America’s hunger problem may be waning, but food assistance continues to top pre-pandemic levels
Even a huge increase in food assistance benefits and summer pandemic relief payments may not stave off hunger for millions of Americans
By Laura Reiley
Today at 11:31 a.m. EDT
Hunger around America is improving, compared with a month ago, according to the most recent U.S. census data.(1) But food insecurity has a long way to go before returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Self-reported food insecurity for the week ending Aug. 2 was at its lowest levels since the start of the coronavirus pandemic for households with children, according to the census data. That dovetails with strong jobs numbers, stronger economic growth and other bright spots in the economic recovery.
But food stamps enrollment is still way up, 2 million more than last year and 6 million more than in 2019.(2) And food banks are still seeing dramatically more need than during pre-pandemic times.
Plus money doesn’t go quite as far, as the cost of many grocery items — including beef, poultry, eggs and dairy — continues to tick higher, as it has for well over a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.(3)
[The rising cost of being in the National Guard: Reservists and guardsmen are twice as likely to be hungry as other American groups]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/06/22/hunger-national-guard-reserves/
Ongoing need is just part of the reason the Biden administration increased food assistance benefits last week, the largest increase to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) on record.(4)
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By Laura Reiley
Laura Reiley is the business of food reporter. She was previously a food critic at the Tampa Bay Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Baltimore Sun. She has authored four books, has cooked professionally and is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy. She is a two-time James Beard finalist and in 2017 was a Pulitzer finalist. Twitter https://twitter.com/lreiley
(1) https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2021/demo/hhp/hhp34.html
(2) https://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program-snap#:~:text=SNAP%20Data%20Tables%20%20%20National%20Level%20Annual,%20%20%20%204%20more%20rows%20
(3) https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/04/grocery-prices-unemployed/
(4) https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/08/15/snap-food-assistance-benefit-boost/?itid=lk_inline_manual_9
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/08/23/hunger-pandemic-food-stamps/