2020年美国家庭食品安全报告（英）-55页_749kb

Summary of "Household Food Security in the United States in 2020"

Core Content

This report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (ERS) presents data on household food security in the United States for the year 2020, based on the Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement (CPS FSS) data collected in December 2020. It provides insights into the prevalence of food insecurity, changes in food spending, and the role of Federal nutrition assistance programs in supporting food-insecure households.

Main Findings

• National Food Security Status:
  In 2020, an estimated 89.5% of U.S. households were food secure, meaning they had consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.
  The remaining 10.5% of households (approximately 13.8 million) were food insecure at least some time during the year.
  Very low food security (the most severe form) increased slightly to 3.9% of households (up from 4.1% in 2019), with 5.1 million households affected. In these households, some members experienced reduced food intake and disrupted eating patterns due to limited resources.

• Impact on Households with Children:
  7.6% of U.S. households with children (about 2.9 million) experienced food insecurity in 2020, up from 6.5% in 2019.
  0.8% of these households (about 322,000) had very low food security, with children being hungry, skipping meals, or not eating for a whole day due to insufficient funds for food.

• Changes in Subgroups:

  • The prevalence of food insecurity increased for all households with children from 13.6% in 2019 to 14.8% in 2020.
  • It also increased for Black, non-Hispanic households and households in the South.
  • Conversely, it decreased for women living alone, men living alone, White, non-Hispanic households, and households in the Midwest.

• Food Spending Differences:

  • The median food-secure household spent 18% more on food than the median food-insecure household of the same size and composition.
  • About 55% of food-insecure households participated in one or more of the three largest Federal nutrition assistance programs: SNAP, WIC, and the National School Lunch Program.

• Impact of the Pandemic:

  • The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on employment and food security.
  • In the 30-day period from mid-November to mid-December 2020, 20.4% of households with a reference person who was not employed and prevented from seeking work were food insecure, compared to the national average of 5.7%.
  • Households with a reference person unable to work due to the pandemic had a 16.4% food insecurity rate during this period.

• Program Flexibilities:

  • The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program was introduced in 2020 to support school children affected by closures.
  • However, the survey did not measure P-EBT participation, as it focused on the December 2020 CPS FSS data.

Methodology

• The data comes from the Annual Food Security Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS), conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.
• The survey included 34,330 households, representing a nationally representative sample of the U.S. civilian population.
• The food security status of households was determined based on responses to 18 questions about food access, meal skipping, and reduced food intake.
• Households were classified as food secure if they reported no or only one or two food-insecure conditions, and food insecure if they reported three or more.
• Very low food security was defined as households with six or more food-insecure conditions (for households without children) or eight or more (for those with children), and five or more food-insecure conditions among children specifically.

Key Information

• The report highlights that while the overall prevalence of food insecurity remained unchanged from 2019, subgroup differences were notable.
• Federal nutrition assistance programs played a significant role in supporting food-insecure households, with 55% participating in at least one of the three major programs.
• Response rates for the CPS declined in 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic, but were higher in December than in June.
• Nonresponse bias was addressed through reweighting techniques, and the report acknowledges the need for further research to understand the causal effects of the pandemic on food insecurity.

Conclusion

The report underscores the resilience of the U.S. food security system in the face of the pandemic, but also highlights vulnerabilities among certain subgroups, particularly those affected by job loss and economic hardship. It serves as a baseline for future analysis and emphasizes the importance of continued monitoring and policy support for food-insecure populations.