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The number of US households that reported getting emergency food from a food pantry almost doubled between 2007 and 2009, at the height of the recession, according to a government report released Monday. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the number of such households jumped from 3.9 million to 5.6 million. "Households also accessed additional assistance through the USDA's 15 food and nutrition assistance programs," the report said. It was published in Amber Waves, a monthly magazine run by the USDA. The USDA oversees the government's food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for low-income families and other domestic feeding programs such as school lunches. In the 2009 fiscal year, "15.2 million households participated in SNAP in an average month, up from 12.7 million in 2008," the article said. The 14.7 percent of households without food security at some time in 2009 was up from 14.6 percent in 2008, and was the highest since data-keeping on the subject began in 1995, according to the report. In a separate report, the USDA said the percentage of US households without food security during the year hit a record in 2009. Reuters |
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