In late October the USDA Economic Research Service released a report entitled the Household Food Security in the United States in 2022 report.  The study revealed that 17 million households were food insecure at some point during the year with close to 7 million households subjected to low food security.  There was a statistically significant increase in food insecurity compared to 2021.

In commenting on the report, Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack noted, “These findings are unacceptable, yet the report is the latest piece of evidence that as the pandemic began to wane in 2022 another public health concern, namely, food insecurity-increased.”

Half of food-insecure families received assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the National School Lunch Program or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

The 2023 Farm Bill that will in all probability be delayed in passage until early 2024, includes funding for SNAP and related programs.  The amounts proposed are contentious with divisions in both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees as to allocation of funding and SNAP eligibility.