USDA: No Year-Over-Year Change In Food Insecurity

USDA's latest annual look at household food security in America shows no percentage change year over year in the number of households that were food insecure at some point due to lack of resources; 10.5% of all American households in both 2019 and 2020.

"The COVID-19 pandemic affected public health and the economy and there were a number of changes to federal, state, and local, policies, programs, and benefits," said USDA economic researcher Alisha Coleman-Jensen. "There were a number of changes to existing nutrition assistance programs and additions of programs. And there were responses by charitable organizations."

Plus substantial increases in economic assistance and unemployment in 2020

"And all of these factors may have affected food insecurity."

In addition, Coleman-Jensen said a special section of the report looks at food insecurity of households by employment effects of the pandemic.

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