After declining in 2021, 'food insecurity' among Americans up to highest levels since early pandemic

The number of Americans facing "food insecurity" has jumped from last year, reaching levels not seen since the earliest days of the pandemic in the U.S. when employment shot up to unthinkable numbers and most of the country was closed down. 

Survey data from the Urban Institute show that over 21 percent of Americans reported "food insecurity [over the] past 30 days" in June and July, up from roughly 15 percent in April of 2021. 

Last month's insecurity numbers are nearly identical to the 21.6 percent of Americans who reported similar dire straits in March and April of 2020. Those were the months in which millions upon millions of Americans were thrown out of work and much of the U.S. was shuttered due to fears of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. 

The upswing in food insecurity—defined as "a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life"—comes amid skyrocketing inflation after several years of economic turmoil coupled with major government "stimulus" payouts to most U.S. citizens in an effort to offset those disruptions. 

Disruptions in supply chains and the Russia/Ukraine war have also created instabilities in the global economy that have contributed to agricultural uncertainties and food supply issues.