Frequency of Hunger Declining

The frequency of hunger and food insecurity declined in 1999. That good news is contained in a report released September 18 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Over 3 million households, involving nearly 8 million people and 3 percent of the population, experienced hunger during the 12 months preceding the survey. Over ten million households, involving 31 million people and 10 percent of the population, were food insecure, meaning that because of a lack of resources, they were at risk of hunger.

Although these findings again confirm that many Americans lack one of life's essential ingredients, they also demonstrate that the strong economy is having a positive impact. The portion of Americans households experiencing hunger declined by 28 percent from 1995 to 1999 and by 19 percent from 1998 to 1999.

One key finding marred the otherwise positive report. Among households between 50 and 130 percent of poverty, the prevalence of food insecurity increased from 1995 to 1999. Similarly, from 1998 to 1999, there was no reduction in the prevalence of hunger among households between 100 and 130 percent of poverty.

Joel Berg, the USDA coordinator of community food security, commented on the findings in a September 8th Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article. "The people who are really, really at the bottom are getting more help," Berg said. "The people teetering on the edge, which likely includes many working-poor families, are still having big difficulties. Prescription drug costs and health costs continue to be a problem. High rent costs and low wages continue to be a problem."

The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) in Washington linked the USDA findings to the decline in participation in the Food Stamp Program. "While many families are moving from welfare to work, their earnings are low and often they do not receive the food stamps for which they are eligible, leaving parents and children as vulnerable or more vulnerable to food insecurity than before."

The USDA report is based on 50,000 interviews conducted across the U.S. during April 1999. State data will be available in December.