Enough to Eat: Measuring Food Security in the U.S.

Eighty-nine percent of American households were food secure throughout the entire year in 2007, meaning that all household members had access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life. The remaining households (11.1 percent) were food insecure at least some time during the year because the household lacked money and other resources for food. Just over half of all food-insecure households participated in one or more of the three largest Federal food and nutrition assistance programs. This book provides statistics that guide planning for Federal, State and community food assistance programs. This book updates the national statistics on food security, household food spending, the use of Federal and community food and nutrition assistance by food-insecure households and the numbers of households using community food pantries and emergency kitchens. The household food security statistics presented in this book are based on a measure of food security calculated from responses to a series of questions about conditions and behaviours known to characterise households having difficulty meeting basic food needs.