10 FACTS ABOUT FOOD INSECURITY & SNAP

1. One in seven households was food insecure in 2014—meaning that at some time during the year they had difficulty providing enough food for all of their members. 
2. 15 million children live in food-insecure households. 
3. Even more troubling, in 2014 almost 7 million households suffered one or more periods during which food intake of household members was reduced and normal eating patterns were disrupted because the household lacked money and other resources for food. 
4. Food insecurity is distinct from poverty. 
5. In 30 states and the District of Columbia the rate of food insecurity is higher than the rate of poverty. 
6. Two-thirds of food-insecure households have annual incomes above the federal poverty level. 
7. And because many households may be food secure one year but not the next, an even larger share of households has had some experience with food insecurity than any single-year snapshot suggests.
8. SNAP is highly effective, lifting millions of people out of poverty and increasing the resources they have available to purchase food. 
9. Furthermore, several studies have found that SNAP reduces the likelihood that a household will experience food insecurity or very low food security. 
10. Recent studies have shown that SNAP improves health outcomes and households’ financial well-being, and even improves the later-life outcomes of individuals who had access to the program as children.

Source:  Brookings Institution, 4/21/16, SNAP & Food Insecurity