Food Insecurity

12% of Southerners went hungry in March, compared to 10% of non-Southerners. AL and FL had the highest rates of hunger in the U.S.

Food insecurity, Mar 1-13, 2023

Percent of adults who report their household sometimes or often went hungry in last 7 days

Source: Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey.

Food insecurity is a chronic problem globally, often overlooked in higher income countries. According to a recent report, 8–20% of the population in higher income countries lack access to enough food in the household.¹ In March 2023, 11% of Americans reported that their household sometimes or often went hungry. In the South, it was 12%. Two Southern states had the highest rate of food insecurity: AL (14.6%) and FL (14.1%).

Temporary SNAP pandemic emergency allotments ended as of March 2023, leaving SNAP recipients across the nation with at least $90 less per month.² More and more Americans are turning to food banks, nonprofits, and other community organizations for help. Many of these entities are volunteer-operated with limited supplies and tight budgets, and struggle to keep up with increased demand.^{3,4,5,6,7,8,9}

State and federal-level policy is needed to curb food insecurity and its subsequent physical and mental health effects (Symptoms of anxiety/depression).^10,11 AL, the state with the highest rate of food insecurity in March 2023, is one of 3 states that offers no relief on the sales tax rate on groceries.¹² A statewide poll shows that 84% of Alabamians support eliminating the sales tax on groceries.¹³

1. “Food insecurity: a neglected public health issue requiring multisectoral action”. BMC Medicine. April, 2023. https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-023-02845-3#

2. “Temporary Pandemic SNAP Benefits Will End in Remaining 35 States in March 2023”. Rosenbaum, Bergh, and Hall. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. February, 2023. https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/temporary-pandemic-snap-benefits-will-end-in-remaining-35-states-in-march

3. “Collier County food pantries see an increase in food insecurity”. Salata. WGCU. April, 2023. https://news.wgcu.org/section/democracywatch/2023-04-16/collier-county-food-pantries-see-an-increase-in-food-insecurity

4. “More middle-income Florida households are facing food insecurity”. Paul. WUSF. February, 2023. https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/economy-business/2023-02-16/more-middle-income-florida-households-are-facing-food-insecurity

5. “Food insecurity: Churches help put food on the table for people in their communities”. Thornton. The Alabama Baptist. February, 2023. https://thealabamabaptist.org/food-insecurity-churches-help-put-food-on-the-table-for-people-in-their-communities/

6. “EJI starts new initiative to fight hunger in Alabama”. Stevens. WSFA. September, 2022. https://www.wsfa.com/2022/09/08/eji-starts-new-initiative-fight-hunger-alabama/

7. “Georgia food banks gear up for summer demand a year after pandemic food stamp benefits ended. Dunlap. Chattanooga Times Free Press. April, 2023. https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2023/apr/16/georgia-food-banks-gear-up-for-summer-demand-a/

8. “Local seniors and the end of emergency COVID-19 SNAP benefits. McNair. The Central Virginian. April, 2023. https://www.thecentralvirginian.com/living/local-seniors-and-the-end-of-emergency-covid-19-snap-benefits/article_44388982-d95e-11ed-b3b3-2750da9bb35f.html

9. “More hungry Americans are using food banks for the first time”. Brooks. CBS News. August, 2022. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/food-insecurity-inflation-food-banks-hunger/

10. “Food Insecurity”. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health/literature-summaries/food-insecurity

11. “Food Insecurity, Chronic Disease, and Health Among Working-Age Adults”. Gregory, Coleman-Jensen. USDA. July, 2017. https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/84467/err-235_summary.pdf?v=0

12. “Why Alabama might not be the last state to cut the sales tax on groceries”. Sharp. Advance Local, Alabama. April, 2023. https://www.al.com/news/2023/04/why-alabama-might-not-be-the-last-state-to-cut-the-sales-tax-on-groceries.html

13. “Alabama Statewide Poll”. AL GOP. https://files.constantcontact.com/54bc2551301/07627dfb-4237-424d-a02e-85b08cb4816f.pdf?rdr=true