Household Food Security in the United States, 2008

More American households had difficulty putting enough food on the table in 2008

In 2008, 85 percent of U.S. households were food secure throughout the entire year, but 14.6 percent of households were food insecure at least some time during that year, up from 11.1 percent in 2007.

This is the highest recorded prevalence rate of food insecurity since 1995 when the first national food security survey was conducted.

What's Available:

For further information, see:

• Food Security in the United States Briefing Room

• Does SNAP Decrease Food Insecurity? Untangling the Self-Selection Effect

• Food Spending Declined and Food Insecurity Increased for Middle-Income and Low-Income Households from 2000 to 2007

• Food Insecurity in Households with Children: Prevalence, Severity, and Household Characteristics

• USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service addresses the incidence of food security in the United States