Food Insecurity and the Food Stamp Program

today (FAO). Most of those undernourished live in low-income countries. Attention during the recent World Food Summit highlights the problems of hunger and malnutrition, in a world with sufficient production but lack of infrastructure and methods of distribution, among other conditions, to assure people worldwide of "adequate and accessible" food supplies. Malnutrition or undernourishment is very rare in the United States. However, despite the wealth of the United States, ample aggregate food supplies, and relatively low food prices, many households do not have assured access to enough food to meet their dietary needs to lead active and healthy lives. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that in 2000, 10.5% of households (11 million) faced food insecurity in the past year (Nord et al.). These households represent over 33 million individuals in the country. Over 3% of households have experienced hunger. Some groups are more at risk than others. Recent evidence shows that nearly one-third of low-income households experienced food insecurity. Understanding food insecurity in the context of the United States' economic and so-