With little fanfare, and with no good news to report, The United States Department of Agriculture's division, The Economic Research Service (ERS) released its annual report entitled "Household Food Security in the United States, 2006." This annual assessment of the extent of food insecurity and hunger in America is released every fall providing a state-by-state snapshot of food insecurity.

• 35.5 million people in the US struggled with household food insecurity during 2006. Since the previous year, the US saw an increase of 500,000 households who did not have enough access to enough food for an active and healthy life.
• Food insecurity increased in Pennsylvania. In 2006, 13.3% of households were food insecure or had very low food security at some time during the previous year. In 2005, 12.7% of households in Pennsylvania experienced food insecurity or very low food insecurity during the year.
• 12.6 million children (17.2% of American children under the age of 18) experienced food insecurity or very low food insecurity during 2006, compared to 12.4 children the previous year.
• 17% of children, those under the age of 6, experienced food insecurity or very low food insecurity in the past year. According to the 2005 report, 17.2% of children under the age of 6 experienced food insecurity or very low food insecurity.

The Healthy People 2010 target is to reduce food insecurity to 6% for the US population overall by 2010. Since 2000, there has been no improvement in rates of household food insecurity. More must be done to protect people from the devastating effects of hunger especially children.

Food insecurity among children younger than 6 years of age is particularly troublesome because of the close association between adequate nutrition, school readiness, and cognitive development. But this year, legislators have the opportunity to create legislation to decrease the number of food insecure children in the United States by strengthening funding streams to the Food Stamp Program when they reauthorization the 2007 Farm Bill.

The Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program - Food Stamps as Medicine

To read more about the Food Stamp Program within the Farm Bill and the reauthorization issues for the 2007 Farm Bill click on - The Philadelphia GROW Project - The Battle over the Farm Bill and SCHIP or The Food Research Action Center - Farm Bill Food Stamp Reuathorization Center

To read the full 2006 report or previous reports about food insecurity in the United States, click here - USDA Household Food Security in the United States, 2006

For more information about food insecurity click on the below links:

The Children’s Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program

The Food Research and Action Center

Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger

The Right to Food

For more information about this highlight or any of the highlights on the Philadelphia GROW Project website, please contact Michelle Renee Chyatte, MPH Policy Coordinator for The Philadelphia GROW Project.