(Washington Post) Hunger worsened among U.S. households in 2022, report finds

More than 44.2 million Americans lived in households that struggled with hunger in 2022, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released Wednesday — an increase of 10.3 million over the previous year.

The new figures, from the agency’s Economic Research Service, show an end to a nearly decade-long decrease in the number of families reporting food insecurity, at a time when food prices remain elevated because of inflation.

The report paints a difficult picture for many households considered food-insecure — meaning they did not have consistent, dependable access to enough food for active, healthy living. The percentage of U.S. households facing very low food security increased from 3.8 percent in 2021 to 5.1 percent in 2022, the report found.

The study found statistically significant increases in food insecurity across almost all categories compared with the previous year. One in 8 U.S. households struggled with hunger in 2022, with 13.4 million children living in households that experienced food insecurity. Rates of food insecurity were higher for Black and Latino households. And 33.1 percent of single-parent households headed by women experienced food insecurity.

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Posted in * Culture-Watch, America/U.S.A., Dieting/Food/Nutrition, Poverty