Hunter
01/13/26
New federal data says Iowa’s food insecurity rates are below the national average but have seen an uptick in recent years.
The Des Moines Register reports the 2024 USDA Household Food Security Report showed Iowa among 28 states that saw “statistically significant increases” in the prevalence of food insecurity in households. Nearly 11% of Iowa households were food insecure from 2022 to 2024 — a 57% increase from the 7% reported over the 2019-2021 period. Additionally, the number of households who struggled at points to buy food and either skipped meals or ate doubled compared to the previous period.
The report said the national food insecurity rate was 13.7%.
The USDA report said the number of people in the US dealing with food insecurity was 48 million in 2024, up from 47 million in 2023.
The report is the last one to be issued by the USDA. The Register says the agency announced in September it would end the survey, which it called in a memo “subjective, liberal fodder” and did “nothing more than fear monger.” It also found the survey “redundant,” “costly” and “politicized.”