AMERICANS STRUGGLE TO BUY FOOD

 

In 16 states, at least one in five residents couldn’t afford the food they needed last year, twice the number as 2012, according to a new Gallup report. Mississippi had the highest share of residents who struggled to afford food; just over a quarter say that at least once during the past year they didn’t have enough money to buy the food they or their families needed. West Virginia and Louisiana were close behind, both with 23% of residents struggling to get adequate food. Overall, 18.9% of Americans struggled to afford food last year. That’s a slight uptick from 2012, when the figure was 18.2%, and an increase from 17.8% in 2008.

 

Source: Think Progress, 3/24/14, Food Struggles