The lines at fast-food restaurants and food banks have both grown this summer as inflation has caused the price of basic groceries — eggs, butter, beef — to swell while pandemic-era supplemental nutrition benefits expired for millions of Americans.
Food insecurity experts predicted this period of increased need months ago, referring to it as a "looming hunger cliff." In June, many Americans came face-to-face with it, as the Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey reported that 26.5 million Americans reported food insecurity as of June 19, the most thus far in 2023 and the highest number since December 2020. The United States Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP benefits, defines food insecurity as "a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life."
