More than 1 in 5 residents in the San Antonio Food Bank's service area struggles to consistently access enough food, a new report shows.

Why it matters: Food banks say they're seeing greater need as many families continue to grapple with high costs for groceries, housing and gas, while changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) create additional uncertainty, San Antonio Food Bank president and CEO Eric Cooper tells Axios.

The latest: Feeding America's recently-released annual Map the Meal Gap report, which is based on 2024 data — the latest available — shows food insecurity is rising throughout the state.

• About 19% of Texans experienced food insecurity in 2024, up from 18% a year earlier.

By the numbers: About 21% of residents in the San Antonio Food Bank's 29-county service area experienced food insecurity in 2024, per the report. That's up from 18% the year before.

• The report estimates 629,590 people in the region experienced food insecurity, including 188,600 children.
• Child food insecurity climbed from 21% to 26%, meaning more than 1 in 4 children experienced food insecurity.

Zoom in: Bexar County's food insecurity rate reached 23%, or about 467,000 people, per the county-level estimates. The report also estimates 43% of food-insecure residents earn too much to qualify for SNAP benefits based on income, highlighting the role food banks play for families outside the federal safety net.

• While the data is based on 2024, Cooper says food bank distributions increased 20% between 2025 and 2026.

Between the lines: Food banks worry demand could continue to rise as Texas implements federal changes to SNAP.

• Beginning in 2027, states with SNAP payment error rates above 6% will have to shoulder a share of benefit costs.
• Texas' error rate was 9% in fiscal year 2025, meaning the state could face up to $709 million a year in additional costs beginning in fiscal year 2028 if the law remains unchanged.
• Cooper said in a statement that he's urging Congress to delay the cost-sharing requirement by two years to give Texas more time to reduce its payment error rate before the new costs take effect.

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Texas A&M University researchers are developing small fish-like, swimming robots to capture lithium from the ocean.

Why it matters: Demand for lithium is growing. It's a critical mineral used in the creation of batteries, electric vehicles and energy storage technologies — meaning lithium can help build a greener future.

• But lithium mining and extraction are not so environmentally friendly. The researchers are aiming for a cleaner way to gather the mineral.

State of play: The research is supported by $1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, which announced the awards earlier this summer.

What they're saying: "Unlike traditional mining that digs up land or pumps brine from underground and requires massive amounts of energy, these autonomous … nanorobots move freely through seawater to harvest lithium with virtually zero infrastructure footprint," Jingjing (Jenny) Qiu, mechanical engineering professor and one of the lead researchers, said in a statement.

• "Our goal is to develop a technology that supports a more reliable domestic lithium supply chain while reducing the environmental footprint associated with traditional extraction methods," Qiu added.

How it works: The robots swim like fish and gather lithium ions along the way. They can be activated by light and then recovered using magnetic fields.

Reality check: It can be difficult to separate lithium from other minerals in the sea.

• The research team's challenges also include scaling the robots for industrial use and ensuring they're durable enough to take on the ocean.

What's next: The next focus is on improving the fish robots' performance, testing their efficiency and evaluating potential environmental impacts.

⏸️ Three San Antonio councilmembers are forcing a vote on whether the city should temporarily pause new data center development applications, following Gov. Greg Abbott's move to halt new approvals. (KSAT)

🥾 Honey Creek State Natural Area, just north of San Antonio, opened a trailhead over the weekend, marking the first non-guided access to the new park. (Texas Parks and Wildlife)

🐘 Local elected Republicans joined Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at a Saturday rally in San Antonio, despite supporting U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the primary. (SA Report)

👋 Megan here. I took a journey to the Shops at Rivercenter recently to see "The Odyssey" in IMAX — but I left thinking a margarita I had at the mall was better than the movie.

Dig in: Since, like many locals, I'm not usually at the Shops at Rivercenter, it felt like a good time to check out Mexico Ceaty, the food court recently overhauled by local chef Jason Dady.

• It's 21,000 square feet of several different food and drink establishments, a Mexican-forward answer to Eataly. There are multiple bars, a sit-down restaurant, a panadería and cafe, grab-and-go tacos, and plenty more.

What to try: I stopped in at Tres Arcos, the sit-down restaurant, for a house margarita ($13). It's simple enough with tequila, Cointreau, agave and lime.

• And y'all, this drink is no joke. My mouth dropped open when I saw how large it was — and it's pretty strong, to boot.

Six-word review: Size for tourists, taste for locals.

Pro tip: If you do see a movie, AMC will validate garage parking for up to three hours.

• Sure, it's not long enough to see "The Odyssey," but it's enough to grab a to-go margarita before a shorter film.