Study: Food insecurity hits nearly half of Central Virginia households
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Just over half of Virginia families with children experienced food insecurity at some point in the last year, according to a new study of hunger in the state.
Why it matters: The report offers one of the clearest looks at hunger in Virginia at a time when many families are dealing with high grocery costs and big changes to federal food assistance programs.
- It's also the first new Virginia-specific data since the USDA announced last year that it would stop publishing its annual Household Food Security reports after three decades.
State of play: The inaugural Virginia Hunger Study was commissioned by the state Department of Social Services and Virginia hunger-relief organizations.
- It's based on a survey of 5,600+ Virginia adults using the same 18-question food-security survey long used by the USDA, per the study.
What they found:
- 42% of Virginia households surveyed said they experienced food insecurity during the 12 months ending in May — including 51% of households with children.
- 45% of households in Central Virginia — the region served by Feed More — were food insecure.
- Just 27% of food-insecure households statewide and in Central Virginia were enrolled in SNAP.
Stunning stat: 87% of food-insecure households statewide and 88% in Central Virginia said higher grocery prices are a major financial strain.
Yes, but: It's not just food-insecure households. Nearly half — 46% — of food secure Central Virginia households say the high cost of groceries is causing significant financial strain.
The fine print: The survey was conducted in May by NORC at the University of Chicago and asked participants about their experiences over the previous 12 months.
- The new findings aren't directly comparable to the USDA's previous state estimates, the survey notes, because they were conducted and weighted differently.
The bottom line: If you're experiencing food insecurity — or grocery cost pain — you're not alone.
- Feed More has some resources that could help.