Poverty amidst plenty: food insecurity in the United States

Michael LeBlanc, Betsey Kuhn and James Blaylock

Agricultural Economics, 2005, vol. 32, issue s1, 159-173

Abstract: The United States faces domestic food security issues that differ from those encountered by many countries. Yet, in 2001, 10.7% of U.S. households were estimated to be food insecure at some point during the year. Food security, poverty, and food insecurity are strongly linked by economic conditions. Job transitions, layoffs, and family disruptions result in periods of low income and vulnerability to food insecurity. Economic and food assistance programs have helped protect many U.S. households when the market economy has failed to do so. These programs have reduced vulnerability to falling income and food insecurity during economic downturns in the business cycle. However effective food assistance programs have been for reducing short‐term vulnerability, they do not enhance a household's ability to achieve sustainable food security. Prospects for improving long‐term food security are tied to the same economic forces shaping a household's income and budget, particularly those related to labor productivity and wages.

Date: 2005
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