Food banks see growing demand amidst rising inflation

Food banks are buckling under rising demand for their services as rising food prices squeeze the budgets of both households and the banks themselves.

A survey by Feeding America, which runs 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs nationwide, found that about 85% of its food banks saw demand for food assistance increase or stay the same in February compared to the previous month, which represents a 20% increase from its survey in January.

Detroit food bank Forgotten Harvest told The Wall Street Journal that demand increased 25% to 45% since December in the areas it serves. Demand in March alone rose 30% compared with the precious month.

“The need is growing quickly, as gas prices are continuing to rise,” he said. “As you know, there are shortages in the grocery store and the costs of the commodity goods are going up and up and up,” said Forgotten Harvest spokesman Christopher Ivey.

Inflation in the U.S. hit a 40-year high last month to 8.5% across a variety of everyday goods known as the consumer price index. Specifically, food prices rose by 8.8% over the year and 1% over the month.

Gas prices in March rose 48% over the year and 18.3% over the year over uncertainty created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The price pressures come after two years caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which amplified food insecurity as U.S. economy slowed to a crawl, especially in urban areas.

Allison Korn, director of the Food Law & Policy Clinic at the University of California, Los Angeles, said inflation increased food insecurity in groups that are not historically disenfranchised.

“You will continue to see folks come into food banks who are seniors, who are undocumented individuals, and persons who suffer from disabilities,” Korn told WSJ.

“But you’re also seeing folks who are just kind of trying to cobble together jobs who may suffer from chronic and persistent unemployment.”

Inflation and supply chain issues that increased the price of food for American families is also affecting food bank’s ability to provide for those in need.

Feeding America President and CEO Katie Fitzgerald said their food banks increased food purchasing by about 60%, but that it was costing them 40% more.

The USDA’s Emergency Food Assistance program is investing approximately $2 billion to food providers and state agencies across the country in fiscal year 2022, a spokesman told WSJ.

Experts also warn of an incoming surge in food prices as countries who imported food from the warring countries of Ukraine and Russia scramble to find new sources. Russia provides 20% of the world’s wheat exports, while Ukraine provides 7%.