Before you check out at the grocery store, have you ever put something back because you needed more money for rent? Have you ever skipped a meal because you didn’t have food? Both these experiences describe what it means to be food insecure, and it’s something too many Americans face.

In 2023, about 18 million households (13.5% of the U.S. population) experienced low or very low food security. It’s not hard to understand. With inflation, the cost of everything has increased. For food overall, prices were up 3.1% in September compared to a year ago. The cost for meat, poultry, fish and eggs went up 5.2%.

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