A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York says food insecurity among Americans is rising, with rates now higher than during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fed bases its findings on a survey of about 1,200 US household heads conducted in February. Respondents are asked whether, in the past period, they had to use savings or emergency funds to cover expenses, struggled to find enough food, had children miss meals, or relied on food donations or government aid to buy food. The New York Fed reports that there are “meaningful increases” in the shares of households reporting all four situations. It highlights that the increases are especially concentrated among lower-educated and lower-income households, and among households with young children.
The report also notes that more than one third of households said they dipped into savings to get by, compared with 21.8% in June 2020, when unemployment benefits peaked above 33 million. The outlets also connect the current trend to higher grocery prices, pointing to the period before the Iran-related war began and to elevated food inflation in the US.
