A new report by Hunger Free America (HFA) has found that the number of Americans without enough food over a seven-day period was an average of 40% higher in September and October of 2023 than in September and October of 2021.
According to the report released by the nonprofit group, which is based on an analysis of federal data, the number of people without enough food increased from 19.7 million to 27.8 million nationwide over that time period.
The report, which is based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, also found that the number of children without enough food over a seven-day period was an average of 55% higher in September and October of 2023 than in September and October of 2021.
The report’s findings are a stark reminder of the fact that hunger is a serious problem in America. According to HFA, one in eight Americans (about 40 million people) struggle with food insecurity. This means that they do not have reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
More than 11 percent of New Jersey residents do not have enough to eat, according to the latest Household Pulse Survey.
While 5,371,584 New Jersey residents said they have enough food, another 683,036 people said that they sometimes or often do not have enough to eat.
“Effective federal public policies in recent years were spectacularly successful in reducing hunger in America, but as many of those policies have been reversed, starvation and malnutrition have again soared,” said Lisa McCormick, a progressive activist who took four of ten votes away from Senator Robert Menendez in the 2018 Democratic primary election. “At the precise moment when many Americans found themselves in desperate need of help, corporate Democrats in Congress proved themselves unable to protect federally funded benefits such as the Child Tax Credit and universal school meals from cuts advocated by conservative crackpots.”
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problem of hunger in America by causing widespread job losses and economic hardship, which made it difficult for many people to afford food. The pandemic also disrupted food supply chains, which made it more difficult for people to access food.
The report’s findings are particularly disconcerting for children.
“Children who lack food are more likely to have health problems, such as anemia, stunted growth, and impaired cognitive development,” said McCormick. “They are also more likely to have behavioral problems and academic difficulties caused by unnecessary hunger.”
“Before COVID, over 40 million Americans experienced food insecurity but Congress made significant progress to remedy hunger during the pandemic through landmark investments in nutrition programs,” said McCormick. “Imagine the progress that could be achieved if our government officials worked together to solve the hunger crisis, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture with a real plan to help end the crisis by 2030, as the United Nations has called for.”
McCormick said corporate Democrats who failed to reauthorize the Child Tax Credit are responsible for pushing millions of families into poverty because they are weak, ineffective, and cowardly because they are more interested in pleasing their billionaire donors than they are in doing the job Americans put them in power to do.
“Corporate Democrats are so beholden to their billionaire donors that they would rather let millions of children fall into poverty than do anything that might upset them,” said McCormick. “Corrupt corporate Democrats have become too cozy with the wealthy and powerful, and they have lost sight of their duty to represent the interests of ordinary Americans, more and more of whom are falling into desperate straights because hunger is a political choice.”
“Hunger is a political issue, and there are several things politically that are keeping people hungry – not funding food stamps adequately, not funding school lunches adequately,” said Tom Colicchio, a world-renowned celebrity chef who was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. “So there is a political solution to the problem of hunger.”
“Cost-benefit analysis of universal free school meals reduced costs to health systems and increased benefits for economic growth, which means the absence of a right to food for all children is not the result of practical decisions but of the ideology of those in power,” said McCormick. “It also reveals a glaring lack of political courage among those who claim to be on the side of working middle-class Americans.”
The HFA report calls for a number of policy changes to address hunger in America. These include expanding access to SNAP benefits, providing more support for food banks and other emergency food providers, and increasing the minimum wage.
The report also calls for action to address the root causes of hunger in America, such as poverty and inequality.
The HFA report is a wake-up call to the nation. We must do more to address hunger in America. We must ensure that everyone has access to the food they need to live a healthy and productive life.
Here are some additional key findings from the HFA report:
- The number of Black Americans without enough food over a seven-day period was an average of 61% higher in September and October of 2023 than in September and October of 2021.
- The number of Hispanic Americans without enough food over a seven-day period was an average of 54% higher in September and October of 2023 than in September and October of 2021.
- The number of food insecure households with children was an average of 58% higher in September and October of 2023 than in September and October of 2021.