Learn More About Hunger
In a state with one of the best economies in the country, and in a country with the greatest bounty and wealth in the world, it is appalling and disturbing that hunger should persist. Yet persist it does. In a recent report on hunger and food insecurity in America, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that in 2007:
- More than 36 million people, over 11 percent of the total population, lived in households considered to be food insecure in the United States.
- Of the 36 million people, more than 12 million were children. This represents more than 16 percent of all children in the U.S.
- Utah’s food insecurity rate exceeded the national rate, with 12.5 percent of the population living in food insecure households. The rate of households with very low food security in Utah may also exceed the national average, with 5.1 percent of Utah households in this condition compared to only 4.0 percent nationally.
Although it will be many months before we can reliably quantify the impact of the current recession on hunger and food insecurity in Utah, we can see that record numbers of Utahns (PDF) are utilizing the Food Stamp program as the economic fallout continues to displace thousands families across the state.
Although USDA data indicate that Utah’s rate of food insecurity is on par with or higher than the national average, most federal nutrition programs are still woefully underutilized in Utah. The most recent USDA data indicates that just over half (PDF) of Utah households eligible for Food Stamps actually use the program. Utahns leave over $100 million in unclaimed Food Stamp benefits on the table every year, or roughly three times the annual output of the Utah Food Bank. Utah also ranks very low in our utilization of school lunch programs, and last in our rate of school breakfast participation among impoverished children.
Utah Demographics, Poverty and Food Insecurity
Household Food Security in the United States, 2007
STATE FOOD STAMP PARTICIPATION RATES IN 2006
Prevalence of Household-Level Food Insecurity and Very Low Food Security 2005-2007