One in 7 households struggle for food

November 17, 2009|Associated Press

WASHINGTON - More than one in seven American households struggled to put enough food on the table in 2008, the highest number since the US Department of Agriculture began tracking food security levels in 1995.

That’s 14.6 percent of US households, or about 49 million people, including nearly 17 million children.

The numbers are a significant increase from 2007, when 11.1 percent of households suffered from what USDA classifies as “food insecurity’’ - not having enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the numbers could be higher in 2009 because of the global economic slowdown.

The USDA said that 5.7 percent of those who struggled for food experienced “very low food security,’’ meaning household members reduced their food intake.

Advocates for the poor said that they were not surprised but that the numbers for children, in particular, were lamentable. “What should really shock us is that almost one in four children in our country lives on the brink of hunger,’’ said David Beckmann, the president of Bread of the World, an advocacy organization.

President Obama bemoaned the report, saying that “our children’s ability to grow, learn, and meet their full potential - and therefore our future competitiveness as a nation - depends on regular access to healthy meals.’’