As Nov. 1 looms and the federal government shutdown continues with no end in sight, 36 states have said they may not be able to fund their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs ( SNAP ) past the end of the week. That’s an unprecedented hardship for nearly 42 million Americans, but it’s just one part of some new roadblocks to getting food on the table.

According to the USDA’s most recent annual Household Food Security Survey , 47 million Americans, including 7.2 million children, lived in households with some degree of food insecurity in 2023. At least part of the time, they found themselves having to choose lower quality meals, serve smaller portions or go without eating entirely.

Although children are often shielded from this most severe state, that’s not always the cas

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