According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the number of people participating in food and nutrition programs (including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the free school lunch program, and WIC) increased steadily between 2004 and 2008, with the largest increase occurring in 2008. http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/annual.htm
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Category: Food security
Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest), a national hunger-relief charity, conducted a local impact survey of 160 food banks in the U.S. in 2008. All of the food banks reported an increase in demand for food over the past year, with estimated increases ranging from 29% to 38%
While the cost of food rose by 7.5 percent from October 2007 to September 2008, the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (the mix of food items on which low-income people rely) rose even faster. Over the same time period, the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan rose by 9.4 percent.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors surveyed 25 cities between October 1, 2007 and September 30, 2008. Most cities (95%) reported an increase in demand for emergency food over the past year.
Federal spending on food programs increased significantly between 1990 and 2007.
This link opens a Reuters article on the rising number of Americans receiving Food Stamps (SNAP) assistance. In September 2008 one in 10 Americans were participating in the food stamp program.
In an article entitled “Diabetes Risk, Low Fitness, and Energy Insufficiency Levels among Children from Poor Families,” published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in November 2008, Dr. Trevino and colleagues report that 1,402 low-income students from South Texas participated in a health screening study that found high levels of blood glucose, obesity,…
The Agriculture Department is forecasting that food prices will increase 3.5 to 4.5 percent in 2009, compared with an estimated 5 to 6 percent increase by the end of 2008.
Mazon, a national non-profit dedicated to hunger relief, conducted a survey of 133 emergency food providers in 2008.
A 2008 study by Dr. Susan Parish at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill reports that families raising disabled children are likely to suffer food, housing and health care challenges even with incomes significantly above the poverty line.