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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Was the rate of 'food insecurity' in the US at its lowest level in 20 years before the coronavirus pandemic?

By Lauralei Singsank
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YES

In 2019, "food insecurity" was the lowest it had been in twenty years, at 10.5% of U.S. households. The U.S. Agriculture Department defines "food security" as having "access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members."

In 1999, 10.1% of U.S. households were food insecure. Food insecurity hovered between 10% and 12% for years, then rose in 2008 and peaked in 2011, in the wake of the Great Recession, at 14.9%. Food insecurity then began declining until this year.

The coronavirus-related economic slowdown has increased hunger levels in 2020. Feeding America, a nonprofit coordinating relief efforts, projects that 15.6% of Americans, 50.4 million people, will face food insecurity in 2020. The highest rate is expected in Mississippi, at 22.6%. California is projected to have the greatest number of food-insecure people, at 6.2 million.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
USDA: Household food security in the United States in 2019
USDA: Household food security in the United States in 2019 (full report)
Feeding America: The Impact of the coronavirus on food insecurity in 2020
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.