For area kids, hunger is a growing problem

Child Food Insecurity Rates in Northeast NC at Five Year High According to Map the Meal Gap 2015

According to the annual Map the Meal Gap study released today, food insecurity in northeast North Carolina remains stagnant at 19.5% -60,500 people- for the overall population. Food insecurity rates rose to a 5 year high of 26.6% for area children under 18 years old. 17,710 or more than 1 in 4 kids in northeast North Carolina know hunger as a chronic condition they face throughout the year.

Food insecurity is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s measure of lack of access at times to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members.

“We are dedicated to working to address hunger in northeast North Carolina,” said Liz Reasoner, Executive Director at Food Bank of the Albemarle. “We use the findings from Map the Meal Gap 2015 to better quantify the reality of hunger that we see on a day to day basis. This information is critical to targeting implantation of our programs and services across the region.“  

The state of North Carolina's food insecurity rate of 18.3% is slightly higher than the national average of 15.8%. 

Other local key findings:

·          The counties in northeast NC with the highest rates of food insecurity were Hertford County (24.1%), Bertie County (23.7%) and Northampton County (23.4%)

·          The counties in northeast NC with the highest rates of child food insecurity were Chowan County (31.8%), Northampton County (30.3%) and Tyrrell County (29.8%)

·          25% of food insecure children come from households that are NOT income-eligible for federal nutrition assistance programs.

Map the Meal Gap 2015 is based on an analysis of statistics collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture , U.S. Census Bureau, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2013, the most recent year for which data is available.The study, commissioned by Feeding America, is a detailed analysis of the nation’s food insecurity. An interactive map is available that allows viewers to explore the issue of hunger in northeast NC and across the country. The map can be found at map.feedingamerica.org .

“ Map the Meal Gap 2015 provides unique insight into the prevalence of food insecurity in each county and congressional district in our nation,” said Bob Aiken, CEO of Feeding America. “It will help policy makers and our elected officials understand the challenges they face in addressing hunger in the communities they serve.”

The study is supported by the Founding Sponsor Howard G. Buffett Foundation as well as the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Nielsen . The food price data and analysis was provided by Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN), a global provider of information and insights. The lead researcher is Dr. Craig Gundersen, professor of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois, executive director of the National Soybean Research Laboratory and member of Feeding America’s Technical Advisory Group.

County and congressional district food-insecurity details and the full report are available at map.feedingamerica.org .