November  20, 2009 USDA Report Shows Food Insecurity Was at its Highest in 2008  The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) annual report on Household Food Security in the U.S. revealed that in 2008, 17 million households, or 14.6 percent, were food insecure and families had difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year. The figures from the report released on November 16, 2009 represent the highest level reported since nationally representative food security surveys were initiated in 1995.  Typically when resources are too scarce to provide for the entire family, children are usually protected from the disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake that characterize very low food security.  However, in 2008, children as well as adults experienced periods of very low food security in 506,000 households (1.3 percent); this is up from 323,000 households (0.8 percent) in 2007. "As the Obama Administration works to foster a robust recovery for all, it's important to recognize that we have another opportunity to improve the health and nutrition of our children when Congress begins to debate the Child Nutrition Reauthorization," said Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack. "It is vital that we make it easier for families and administrators to bring eligible children into the program and to eliminate gap periods when children struggle to find the nutrition assistance they need - at breakfast, during summer, and in after-school settings." USDA's National School Lunch program serves 31 million children a healthy meal each school day, which for some children is their most important meal of the day.  The full study is available at http://www.ers.usda.gov/features/householdfoodsecurity/. See also: USDA News Release: USDA Report Reveals Highest Rate of Food Insecurity Since Report Was Initiated in 1995 CHHCS E-journal: Exploring Links Between Food Insecurity and Obesity CHHCS:  School Lunch & Nutrition: Are your kids eating healthily at school?

News Alerts Home RSS Feed Previous News Alerts Issue 02-25-2010: Report Shows States Do a Poor Job Delivering Dental Care to Disadvantaged Children Issue 02-04-2010: The Lancet Retracts Paper Linking Vaccine to Autism Issue 01-27-2010: US Teen Pregnancy Rate Increases After a Decade-Long Decline Issue 01-22-2010: Abnormal Lipid Levels in Adolescents Causes Concern for Heart Disease Issue 01-07-2010: National Influenza Vaccination Week Encourages Continuing Immunization Issue 12-17-2009: Training New Dental Professionals Shows Promise for Expanding Access of Care Issue 12-15-2009: Teen Use of Methamphetamines and Cigarette Smoking has Significantly Declined but Steady Marijuana and Prescription Drug Use Remain Areas of Concern Issue 12-09-2009: Head Start Programs Exceeding Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Requirements Issue 11-20-2009: USDA Report Shows Food Insecurity Was at its Highest in 2008 Issue 11-18-2009: Schools are Using Multiple Practices to Improve Student Academic Performance, Especially in High-Poverty, High-Minority Schools, According to GAO

© 2007 The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools • 202-466-3396 • chhcs@gwu.edu
Website design by Janin/Cliff Design, Inc. and development by Velir Studios