New Report on Food Security in Pennsylvania

Posted by on November 17, 2006

Nearly 10 Percent of Pennsylvania Households at Risk of Hunger
Latest Data Ends State?s 4-Year Slide

Harrisburg (November 16, 2006). According to a report released yesterday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 481,000 Pennsylvania households struggled to keep themselves fed last year. Most avoided hunger through a variety of coping strategies such as smaller portions, less variety in the diet or help from local food pantries. But in 142,300 Pennsylvania households, those efforts failed and at least one individual in the household experienced hunger because of the inability to secure food.

Each year, the Census Bureau measures food security in the United States by interviewing a sample of nearly 150,000 households about their ability to obtain enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. Since 1996, the USDA has annually reported the data to the public. This year?s report, Household Food Security in the United States, 2005, is posted on the web at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodSecurity/.

Nationally, last year 35 million individuals lived in households that were at risk of hunger, down from the 2004 record high of 38 million. This improvement in food security ? measured as a decline in the rate of food insecurity from 11.9 percent in 2004 to 11.0 percent in 2005 ? was the first since 1999.

To report state data, the USDA uses 3-year averages that compensate for limited sample sizes and give a better estimate of the number of households at risk. The Pennsylvania data shows modest improvement in food security with the portion of households at risk falling from 10.2 percent in 2002-2004 to 9.8 percent in 2003-05. This is the first such improvement in four years.

?After three consecutive reports from the USDA showing Pennsylvania losing ground in the effort to end hunger, this is good news,? said Berry Friesen, executive director of the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center. ?On this vital indicator our state has gone from being a national leader to being mediocre. This slide has taken a toll on families and on the public in lost productivity, health and learning. Maybe this latest report indicates we?ve stopped the bleeding. I hope and pray that?s true.?

According to a second report published by the USDA, a variety of state-level factors account for differences in food security among the states. In rough order of importance these factors include wage levels, rental costs, participation levels among children in publicly-funded summer meal programs, unemployment levels, residential stability, participation levels in the Food Stamp Program, and the state and local tax burden.

In Pennsylvania, the portion of households that experienced more severe food insecurity – with hunger affecting at least one family member – remained unchanged at 2.9 percent. Approximately 336,000 individuals live in these households. The historic low for this indicator was in 1999-2001 when hunger affected 2.2 percent of households.

Nutrition policy will be front and center as the 110th Congress convenes in January. High on the agenda will be reauthorization of the Farm Bill, the legislation that governs the Food Stamp Program. ?It will be a test of our nation?s resolve,? said Friesen. ?Are we willing to do what it takes to end the scourge of hunger??

Additional opportunities to learn about food insecurity and hunger in Pennsylvania are available by calling the Pennsylvania Hunger Action Center at 717-233-6705 or by visiting http://www.pahunger.org.