From the summary of the report:
Most U.S. households have consistent, dependable access to enough food
for active, healthy living—they are food secure. But a minority of American
households experience food insecurity at times during the year, meaning
that their access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other
resources. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) monitors the extent
and severity of food insecurity in U.S. households through an annual, nationally
representative survey and has published statistical reports on household
food security in the United States for each year since 1995. This report presents
statistics on households’ food security, food expenditures, and use of
food and nutrition assistance programs in 2008.
And:
In 2008, 85.4 percent of U.S. households were food secure throughout the
year. Food-secure households had consistent access to enough food for active
healthy lives for all household members at all times during the year. The
remaining 14.6 percent (17 million households) were food insecure. These
households, at some time during the year, had diffi culty providing enough
food for all their members due to a lack of resources. The prevalence of food
insecurity was up from 11.1 percent (13 million households) in 2007 and was
the highest observed since nationally representative food security surveys
were initiated in 1995.
About one-third of food-insecure households (6.7 million households, or
5.7 percent of all U.S. households) had very low food security, up from 4.7
million households (4.1 percent) in 2007, and the highest level observed
since nationally representative food security surveys were initiated in 1995.
In households with very low food security, the food intake of some household
members was reduced, and their normal eating patterns were disrupted
because of the household’s food insecurity. The other two-thirds of foodinsecure
households obtained enough food to avoid substantial disruptions in
eating patterns and food intake, using a variety of coping strategies, such as
eating less varied diets, participating in Federal food and nutrition assistance
programs, or obtaining emergency food from community food pantries or
emergency kitchens.
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