One in nine households in New York state was found to be suffering from food shortages.
According to the 2020-2022 ‘Food insecurity’ report recently released by the Federal Department of Agriculture, 870,000 households in New York State are facing food shortages.
The food insecurity rate among all households in New York State is 11.3%. This is an increase from the food insecurity rate of 10.8% recorded between 2017 and 2019 and is 0.1% higher than the national average.
In the case of New Jersey, 8.8% of all households were found to be experiencing food shortages to the point where they were worried about eating every day, which was lower than the national average. However, it was found to be an increase of 1.1% from 2017 to 2019, indicating that countermeasures against this are urgently needed.
Food insecurity refers to a condition in which a person cannot secure sufficient and nutritious food for normal growth and development due to the lack of goods such as money.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that 14.7 million households, or 11.2% of the entire U.S. population, are worried about eating meals every day.
In particular, the rate of food insecurity among racial minorities such as blacks and Hispanics, as well as minority groups such as women and children, was found to be increasing every year.
By state, Arizona had the highest food insecurity rate at 11.6%, while Minnesota had the lowest food insecurity rate at 7.1%.