Feeding America study shows that child food insecurity affects every county in the United States, with rates as high as 50%
Child food insecurity affects every county in the United States, with rates reaching almost 50% in some areas, according to Feeding America’s annual Map the Meal Gap study. At the local level, Map the Meal Gap finds that one in four children live in food insecure homes in Central Louisiana. The Food Bank of Central Louisiana is part of the Feeding America nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, 22 statewide food bank associations and 60,000 agency partners, food pantries and meal programs.
Map the Meal Gap, now in its 15th year, is the only study that provides local-level estimates of food insecurity and food costs for every county and congressional district. The study builds upon USDA’s most recent report of national and state data, which showed 47 million people, including 14 million children, experienced food insecurity in 2023, the highest rate in more than a decade. Map the Meal Gap emphasizes the need for the public to join the movement to end hunger.
“Leveraging the data in this year’s study will help us address challenges shared with us by people facing hunger and identify local ways to support our community,” said Jayne Wright-Velez, executive director of the Food Bank of Central Louisiana. “Hunger remains an urgent crisis across our community. When we listen to people facing hunger and use the study's findings, we can unite in our efforts to create a future where everyone, including children, has access to the nutritious food they need to thrive.”
Other key findings of Map the Meal Gap include:
· Overall food insecurity has increased in every parish served by the Food Bank of Central Louisiana, including Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine, Vernon and Winn.
· About one in five people (19.1%) across Cenla live in food-insecure households.
· The highest increases in food insecurity were among adults aged 18-60.
· Children across the region did slightly better than the previous year. However, the situation remains severe with more than one in four children facing hunger in parts of Cenla.
The Map the Meal Gap study is supported by Conagra Brands Foundation, Enterprise Mobility Foundation, and NielsenIQ/NIQ. Additional key takeaways from the report can be found on the Map the Meal Gap website along with an interactive map that details food insecurity by geography, income, race and ethnicity.
Methodology:
Map the Meal Gap uses publicly available data from USDA Economic Research Service, U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics to estimate local food insecurity at the county, congressional district and state levels. The study also estimates local meal costs and food budget shortfalls using food price data from NIQ, based on USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan, and grocery sales tax data for every county and state in the country.
To learn how food insecurity impacts your community, visit FeedingAmerica.org/MaptheMealGap. For more information about the Food Bank of Central Louisiana and how to help end hunger in Central Louisiana, visit fbcenla.org.
