USDA: Millions more Americans faced food insecurity in 2022

Millions more Americans had difficulty securing enough food in 2022 compared to the year prior, including 1 million more households with children, a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) showed (Source: “Millions more Americans were food insecure in 2022 than 2021 – USDA,” Reuters, Oct. 25).
 
The increase interrupted a years-long trend of declining hunger in the United States. Previous reports from food banks and the U.S. Census Bureau have indicated that hunger is increasing as Americans with lower incomes struggle to recover from the pandemic and from the end of expanded food assistance.
 
"The report is a stark reminder of the consequences of shrinking our proven safety net," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.
 
The USDA report, which did not provide an explanation for the rise, found that 12.8% of households - equivalent to 17 million households - struggled to get enough food in 2022, up from 10.2%, or 13.5 million households, in 2021.