TRENTON, NJ – A report published by Hunger Free America says hunger is soaring in New Jersey due to the rising cost of food and a record level of national inflation.
According to Kim Moscaritolio, of Hunger Free America, the number of Americans without enough food over one seven-day period spiked by 89 percent in New Jersey, and 30 percent nationwide between October of 2021 and October of 2022.
That report was based on federal data.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker acknowledged New Jersey’s hunger crisis on the back of record inflation under the administration of President Joe Biden.
“It is unconscionable that so many New Jerseyans do not have enough to eat, especially when we know policies such as the expanded Child Tax Credit and free school meals sharply reduce poverty and hunger,” Booker said. “I’m grateful for the continued work of anti-hunger advocates, such as Hunger Free America and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, and the White House, which in September convened the second-ever White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, and I remain committed to working with them to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, healthy, and nutritious foods.”
Over the year, the number of people without enough food increased from 500,022 to 942,604 in New Jersey and from 19.9 million to 25.7 million nationwide.
Hunger Free America attributed the surge in food insecurity to the expiration of the expanded Child Tax Credit and universal school meals, coupled with the impact of inflation. Many federal benefit increases have either gone away entirely, or are being ramped down, even as prices for food, rent, healthcare, and fuel continue to soar.
“Effective federal public policies over the previous few years were spectacularly successful in stemming U.S. hunger, but as many of those policies have been reversed, hunger has again soared,” said Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America. “At exactly the moment when so many Americans are in desperate need of relief, many of the federally funded benefits increases, such as the Child Tax Credit and universal school meals, have expired, due mostly to opposition from conservatives in Congress. While increases in food and cash assistance were far greater than the increases in food prices, leaving the vast majority of Americans in far better condition than they would have been without this extra aid, hunger and food insecurity rates continue to soar in all fifty states, especially among working people, children, and seniors. We desperately need the upcoming lame duck session of Congress to address this crisis.”
“We were making headway tackling hunger in our communities when the pandemic hit, and while New Jersey continues to champion a forward-thinking, innovative response, what this report confirms is an astounding number of people of all ages continue to face food insecurity,” said New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin. “Bridging the gap between the front lines of hunger and critical food assistance programs must take center stage as we work to empower longer term stability for those in need. That’s why I’m proud New Jersey has fiercely fought at the state-level to expand access to a school breakfast and lunch, has increased the minimum SNAP benefit for our seniors, and why our state Child Tax Credit is so important. Facing a looming hunger cliff as the federal public health emergency expansions end, it’s up to all of us to keep fighting like hell.”
Democrat Congressman Andy Kim confirmed his district has a hunger crisis as inflation under the Biden administration is squeezing food off the table of tens of thousands in his district alone.
“In my district alone, there are over 55,000 people, including over 12,000 children, who don’t have enough to eat. In the richest, most powerful country in the world, that’s absolutely unacceptable,” said Congressman Andy Kim (NJ-03). “I am proud to have introduced legislation and worked with organizations across our district to raise awareness about hunger in our community, and I’ll continue working to wipe out food insecurity across New Jersey and the country. I’m proud to join Hunger Free America, Speaker Coughlin, and others today and I look forward to our continued partnership and mission to make sure people have access to the healthy food they need and deserve.”