A report from the Brown University School of Public Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield Rhode Island shows that 38% of Rhode Island households–a five year high–are experiencing food insecurity. Food insecurity is more prevalent for families of color than white families, with 55% of Rhode Island Latino households and 47% of Black households experiencing food insecurity, compared with 33% of white households, according to the new report.
It’s an 111% increase from the year 2021, when 18% of households in Rhode Island were experiencing food insecurity. The authors of the report consider people to be food insecure if at least some of the time they say they worry about or lack funds to buy food.
According to Kate MacDonald, a spokesperson for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, which released the data on Monday, food insecurity is being exacerbated by rising costs in the state.
“The cost of everything is so high right now, it’s all adding up for people: basic necessities, the cost of rent, the cost of utilities, of food in the store, child care,” she said.
According to national data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food costs 2.1% more than it did 12 months ago, and on average, the costs of all goods are up 2.6% compared to last year.
Melissa Clark, the Director of Brown University’s School of Public Health Survey Research Center, said the survey was done through calling about 2,000 randomly selected Rhode Islanders and asking them two questions: whether they worried their household’s food would run out before they got money to purchase more, and if the food they bought didn’t last and they didn’t have money to buy more.
Clark also tied her team’s findings about increasing food insecurity to higher costs of living. She said people are having to make hard decisions.
“People having to decide how and where to spend their money is just incredibly sad,” she said.
The food insecurity survey is part of a larger report that Clark’s team releases each year, called the RI Life Index. In addition to food insecurity, the report also addresses other perceived quality of life issues around the state. The group plans to release the full results of their study on Dec. 11 in an event. It’s free, but pre-registration is required.
Clark and MacDonald also said food insecurity is no longer just connected just with the lowest income groups.
“Our pantries are seeing more and more folks who are needing assistance for the very first time,” said MacDonald.
MacDonald said for that reason, the Community Food Bank of Rhode Island is advocating for the passage of a federal Farm Bill that would include funding for the SNAP program.
