A harsh Thanksgiving reality for more than 1 million North Carolinians
Published November 26, 2014
by Tazra Mitchell, NC Policy Watch, November 26, 2014.
As Thanksgiving approaches, it is important to remember the one in five North Carolina households that face food insecurity and struggle to put wholesome meals on their dinner tables. Due to a lack of resources, on any given day, these families face difficult tradeoffs between food and other essential needs such as child care, rent, and utilities. High rates of food hardship and economic insecurity persist due to an economic recovery that is marked by too few jobs, a boom in low-wage work, and income growth that is bypassing the average family and going to the top earners.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecure households as those that do not have consistent, dependable access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle due to a lack of resources.
Food insecurity levels rose sharply during the Great Recession but have not improved since then. Approximately 17 percent of North Carolinians struggle with food insecurity, according to the USDA (see chart below). On this measure, the average North Carolinian fares worse than the average American and, as a state, North Carolina has the fifth highest level in the nation, behind only Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Tennessee. Three of North Carolina’s four neighboring states have lower levels of food hardship.
The USDA breaks down overall food insecurity into two categories: low food security and very low food security.
Eleven percent of North Carolina households face low food security, meaning they report three or more food-insecure conditions in the previous year. There are varying instances of food-insecure conditions, which can include those instances when a household’s food runs out but there is no money to buy more or when a household can’t afford to eat a balanced meal.
More than six percent of North Carolina households face very low food security, meaning that at least one person in the household reduces food intake or changes their eating pattern due to a lack of resources at any point during the year.
November 28, 2014 at 3:25 pm
Greg Dail says:
One of the biggest problem facing our poor is obesity and associated maladies. We spend billions upon billions a year both public and private on food for the poor (and not so poor) so if anyone is going hungry it's their own fault. But if there is a poor person who happens to be hungry, I want to hear from them.
