Food scarcity hits 11 pct of U.S. households-gov't

Reuters, Monday November 17 2008
By Charles Abbott
WASHINGTON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Some 36.2 million Americans struggle to get enough food to eat and one-third of them go hungry from time to time, the government said on Monday in a survey that was taken before this year's economic downturn.
Antihunger groups said hunger has worsened since the government's survey of 45,600 households at the end of 2007. They want Congress to increase food stamp benefits, at least temporarily, in an economic stimulus package this week.
Overall, 11.1 percent of U.S. households, or 36.2 million people, were food insecure during 2007, up from 10.9 percent, or 35.5 million people in 2006, the Agriculture Department said.
Food insecurity is defined as having difficulty obtaining enough food to meet basic nutritional needs.
USDA said 4.1 percent of households, or 11.9 million people -- classified as "very low food security" -- had to cut back on meals or skip them occasionally. The rate has climbed steadily for a decade from 3.7 percent and 3.8 million people in 1998.
"That's where the bigger growth is coming from," said Jim Weill of the Food Research and Action Center. He said U.S. poverty data and other reports show a rising portion of people among the worst-off Americans.
With the Thanksgiving holiday next week, FRAC and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities urged an increase in food stamp benefits. Food stamps help poor people buy food. At latest count, a near-record 29.5 million Americans received food stamps.
Stacy Dean of the Center on the Budget, said food stamp enrollment increased by 2 million people in the first eight months of this year.
"If the data we are reviewing today reflected food insecurity data from the last 12 months, it would be even more shocking," said Vicki Escarra of Feeding America, a network of 200 food banks.
USDA said the typical "food secure" American household spent 35 percent more on food than households with problems acquiring enough food. Food-insecure households compensate by eating less varied diets, enrolling in the food stamp program or turning to charities.
"These households at some time during the year had difficulty providing enough food for all their members due to lack of resources," said USDA.
In the worst-off households, people ate less or their eating patterns were "disrupted."
"On average, households classified as have very low food security experienced the condition in seven months of the year, for a few days in each of those months," said USDA.
Food insecurity rates were highest in the South, among minority groups, among poor people and in households headed by a single woman with children. (Reporting by Charles Abbott; Editing by David Gregorio)