Food Insecurity in the US Jumps for the First Time in 11 Years

A person collects a box of food at a walk-up food distribution bank in Los Angeles.

Photographer: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
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More Americans faced food insecurity in 2022 than in the previous year, marking first annual increase of struggling households in more than a decade.

About 17 million US households, or 12.8% of the total, experienced difficulty at some time during the year in providing enough food for all family members due to a lack of resources, the US Department of Agriculture said Wednesday in a report. The prevalence of food insecurity was significantly higher than the 13.5 million households, or 10.2% of the total, recorded in 2021, the agency said.