Will U.S. Meet Food Security Goal?
 The
U.S. Government, as part of its response to the 1995 World Food
Summit, set the goal of 94 percent food security by 2010. According
to a May 2002 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),
progress through 2002 was "on target" for meeting that
goal.
Based on the first food security survey conducted by the USDA
in 1995, 12 percent of U.S. households were food insecure, including
4 percent that also experienced hunger. The target to be achieved
by 2010 is 6 percent food insecurity and 2 percent hunger. The
USDA reports that five years into the 15-year period, food insecurity
had fallen to around 10 percent, "which is just the annual
reduction required to achieve the 2010 objective".
To be considered food insecure, a household must answer "yes"
to all of the following three questions:
- They worried whether food would run out before they
got money to buy more;
- The food they bought did not last and they did not have
money to buy more;
- They could not afford to eat balanced meals.
The report states that "most - perhaps all - of the reduction
in food insecurity from 1995 through 2000 can be accounted for
by rising incomes over the period." It stated that three
requirements must be in place in order to achieve 94 percent food
security by 2010:
- Renewed economic growth, especially for less skilled workers;
- Improved employment opportunities and increased income
for single mothers with children; and
- A strong nutrition safety net.
For a copy of the report, go to
www.ers.usda.gov/publications.
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