People facing hunger call for change as affordability crisis puts food and health out of reach

CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Neighbors facing hunger continue to call on the nation's leaders to confront food insecurity head-on as nearly 70% say they want to eat healthier but can't afford to right now, according to Feeding America's Elevating Voices: Insights Report.  Now in its fourth year, the report offers an annual snapshot of the reality of hunger in America, informed by survey data from people facing hunger.

"As we continue to listen and learn from people experiencing food insecurity in our shared quest for a hunger-free America, their essential role in shaping effective solutions has become even clearer," said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO for Feeding America. "Neighbors facing hunger have shared how, even with hard work and diligence, a household's food crisis is often coupled with—or can result in—additional crises like a housing crisis or a health crisis.  This reality requires comprehensive solutions, which neighbors are ready and able to solve for alongside policymakers and all of us together. While more people are facing hunger in America today than in nearly a decade, our unified resolve to ensure everyone can access the nutritious food they need to thrive is growing too. When our neighbors thrive, we all thrive.  Let's be inspired by this resolve.  Let's create meaningful change." 

Findings from this year's report show many neighbors continue to face persistent challenges:

• 80% of neighbors say they have bought cheaper less nutritious food due to high food prices.
• More than half (52%) of neighbors report running out of food in the past year before they had money to buy more, including more than 1 in 4 (28%) who ran out of food in the past month.
• More than half (51%) of neighbors have delayed paying bills such as rent, utilities and medical expenses to afford groceries over the past year. 
• However, to make headway, neighbors stand ready to join the movement to end hunger. More than 8 in 10 (81%) responded that they are willing to take action to support policies that improve food access.

Neighbors say that collective efforts to end food insecurity must include improving health, expanding opportunity, increasing access and prioritizing dignity. Their priorities are bolstered by insights they shared in the survey:

• Neighbors say health is at risk and stress is high. Nearly 80% of neighbors say they are not as healthy as they would like to be. One respondent said, "healthy food costs more and I'm forced to buy unhealthy food to be able to fill my stomach." A majority of neighbors, nearly 80%, feel they are not thriving and are dealing with significant stress and anxiety.
• Neighbors continue facing persistent challenges without relief. High costs continue to strain household budgets as they have since 2022, when food inflation increased by nearly 10%, the largest annual spike since 1979. Food and economic insecurity are top of mind for many neighbors, with high food costs ranked as the leading issue (70%) they say is the primary driver of food insecurity in the U.S. One survey respondent shared that, "food prices, among other things, keep us focused only on survival, not on wellbeing or things we could do to improve ourselves and our communities."
• Neighbors continue to call for stronger anti-hunger policies, especially to ensure children have access to the food they need. Ninety percent of neighbors say it is important that anti-hunger policies remove red tape to make it easier for children, seniors and adults to access and enroll in food assistance programs when they need help. Nearly the same number of neighbors say it is important that anti-hunger policies make it possible for all children, regardless of their family's income, to get healthy meals at school if they need them.

The Elevating Voices: Insights Report is part of Feeding America's commitment to continue centering the voices of people with lived experience of hunger in the fight for a hunger-free America. Visit FeedingAmerica.org/ElevatingVoices to read the full report and join the movement to end hunger.

Contact 
Emily James 
Feeding America   

About Feeding America
Feeding America is committed to an America where no one is hungry. We support tens of millions of people who experience food insecurity to get the food and resources they say they need to thrive as part of a nationwide network of food banks, statewide food bank associations, food pantries and meal programs. We also invest in innovative solutions to increase equitable access to nutritious food, advocate for legislation that improves food security and work to address factors that impact food security, such as health, cost of living and employment.  

We partner with people experiencing food insecurity, policymakers, organizations, and supporters, united with them in a movement to end hunger. Visit www.FeedingAmerica.org to learn more.

SOURCE Feeding America