9.5 Percent of Vermont Residents Lived in Hungry or Food-Insecure Households

Barre—Nine and one-half percent of Vermonters lived in households considered to be food insecure from 2003-2005, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) annual report released today. Each year, the Census Bureau measures food insecurity through a series of household survey questions regarding the ability to obtain enough food for an active, healthy life for all members.

To report food insecurity in each state, USDA uses three-year averages to compensate for limited sample sizes and give a better estimate of the number of households experiencing hunger. In 2000-2002, nine percent in Vermont were considered to be food insecure.
According to Deborah Flateman, Vermont Foodbank Chief Executive Officer, “The results of the USDA annual report are not what we wanted to hear.  While the Vermont Foodbank and its Network Partners continue to see an increase in the numbers of people accessing the emergency food system, it is totally unacceptable that in 2006 people are living in food insecure.”

Among the 9.5 percent of Vermont households considered to be food insecure, 3.9 percent were living in households that were considered to have “very low food security,” a new USDA term meaning that one or more people in the household were hungry over the course of the year because they couldn’t afford enough food.

In an effort to investigate the situation of hunger in Vermont more closely, Governor James Douglas, earlier this year, commissioned a Task Force on Hunger.  Flateman sits on the committee.  “Twenty years ago a similar task force was the impetus behind the creation of the Foodbank.  This time we are looking at where the anti-hunger movement started, and what we need to be doing to create food-secure communities in Vermont.”   

Nationally, more than 35 million people live in households that are considered to be food insecure. “It is simply unacceptable that after years of economic growth, 35.1 million people in this country face a constant struggle against hunger,” said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). “We will be calling on Congress to attack this shameful, national condition with new commitment and new energy.”

For More Information, Contact:
Judy Stermer                                       
jstermer@secondharvest.org
(802) 477-4108