Research from Purdue University revealed that the rate of food insecurity in the U.S. has risen this year compared to last year, CBS News reported.

What's happening?

Researchers from Purdue's Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability interviewed roughly 1,200 individuals a month from January to October and determined that about 14% of people they spoke to were experiencing food insecurity at any given time during that period on average. That is up from 12.5% last year. 

"Food insecurity" was defined as any member of the household being unable to afford balanced meals, eating less, or skipping meals for financial reasons.

Why are rising food costs and decreased access to food important?

We've all noticed rising bills across the board, including at the grocery store. It isn't a surprise, then, that people who were just barely putting food on the table a few years ago may not be able to do so now — especially those who lost access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. 

While the rate of inflation has slowed since 2022, we are still experiencing inflation and rising costs rather than steady prices or deflation. This means increasing food prices that are still much higher than before the pandemic, even as the U.S. wastes between 30% and 40% of its food supply, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

That reality puts a major financial strain on ordinary Americans who are just trying to get by on an average paycheck. Many people who are working as hard as they can are still going hungry, and may be financially at risk in other ways.

What's being done about growing food insecurity?

In September, the Trump administration canceled the USDA's annual Household Food Security survey and said it was "redundant, costly, politicized and extraneous," per CBS News.

For over two decades, the survey has set the gold standard for food security analysis, Baylor University economics professor and subject matter expert Craig Gundersen told CBS News. However, researchers at Purdue University continue to monitor the issue in the hope of bringing attention to the issue and informing future policy changes.

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