We tend to think of the global food crisis as something that is happening on the other side of the world.  And it is certainly true that there are vast hordes of impoverished people that are desperate for food in other areas of the planet right now, because hunger is spreading like wildfire in poor countries.  But the truth is that hunger is spreading rapidly in the United States as well.  According to a report that was just released by the USDA, a whopping 44 million Americans now live in “food insecure households”

The number of people living in food insecure households in the United States in 2022 increased to 44 million, including 13 million children, according to a report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This is an increase of 31% for all individuals and 44% for children from the previous year, the highest rate and number of individuals and children since 2014 and the largest one-year increase in food insecurity since 2008.

So exactly what are “food insecure households”?

That is just a politically-correct way of saying that they don’t have enough food to eat.

As you can see from the overall rate of increase and the rate of increase for children, hunger has been absolutely exploding in this country.

According to this new report, one out of every five children in the U.S. now lives in a food insecure household…

“The USDA released data showing that 1 in 7 people, including 1 in 5 children, in the U.S live in food insecure households,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, Feeding America CEO. “This news is heartbreaking, but sadly, it is not surprising. People facing hunger have shared with us that the end of pandemic-era relief efforts and the high cost of food have impacted their ability to make ends meet. I see the long lines myself as I travel across the country. Food banks have been reporting that they are operating under increasing pressure from both sides: the growing number of people experiencing food insecurity and a diminished supply of nutritious food to distribute. Food donations and fundraising have decreased since the pandemic, and while we know the USDA has been working to help, it simply has not been enough.”