Family Life

11.16.10 | Sarah Harnisch

    1 in every 7 homes in America was hit by hunger last year. The U.S. Agriculture Department says they were unable to provide adequate meals for all family members all year long.  49 million Americans went hungry in 2009; that's 11 percent of the population. And 17 million suffered from food insecurity-- not having enough food to stay healthy. Some 9 percent of households had low food security, meaning they relied on such strategies as "eating less varied diets, participating in Federal food assistance programs," or getting emergency food help. About 6 percent had very low food security, meaning they had the normal eating patterns of one or more members disrupted and reduced at times during the year.
Among states, food insecurity ranged from a 6.7 percent level in North Dakota to a 17.7 percent high in Arkansas, as measured over a three year period through 2009. Very low food security ranged from North Dakota's 2.6 percent to Alabama's 6.8 percent.