New Federal Report: US Hunger Spiked in 2007

36 Million Americans, Including 12 Million Children, at Risk     

         The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported today that 700,000 more Americans couldn’t afford a full and stable supply of food in 2007 than in 2006. The USDA data confirmed that there were 36.2 million Americans – including 12 million children – who were “food insecure” in 2007 even before the current economic slowdown. The rapidly increasing lines at food pantries and soup kitchens nationwide indicate that the problem is considerably worse now than it was in 2007.    (Please view the full report online here.)

          Over the 2005-2007 time period, the percentage of households in New York State suffering from the greatest hunger – what USDA now calls “very low food security” – increased slightly, from 3.2 to 3.3 percent. The overall number of food insecure households dipped slightly statewide, from 10.5 to 9.9 households. That means that, throughout the state – even when factoring in relatively wealthy areas such as the suburbs and the Upper East Side – about one in ten families couldn’t afford enough food even when the economy was still strong in 2005-2007. USDA has not yet released 2005-2007 data for New York City alone.

          Said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, “Given that hunger and food insecurity were rampant in America and New York when they overall economy was still strong in the previous few years, it is no wonder that, during this economic meltdown, New York City is starting to face a full-blown hunger emergency, with more and more pantries and kitchens running out of food and unable to meet the growing demand.

          (Press release put out by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, 11/17/08)