New Survey Finds 14.6 Percent of Households in Connecticut Unable to Afford Enough Food in 2009

More than 14.6 percent of households in Connecticut reported not having enough money to buy food that they needed during the prior twelve months in 2009, according to a new report released by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC).

For the first time, data on food hardship – the inability to afford enough food – is available for every state, every Congressional District and for 100 of the country’s largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), including Connecticut MSAs Bridgeport–Stamford-Norwal

k, Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford and New Haven-Milford.

In households with children almost 1 in 5, or 18.7%, struggled to put food on the table. Each of the five Congressional Districts in Connecticut had more than one in ten residents reporting food hardship in 2008-2009. “This up to the moment data reaffirms what we’re seeing in local communities around the state – families are struggling in Connecticut. These findings increase the drumbeat that more must be done – and quickly, to help this state’s struggling families” said Lucy Nolan, executive director of End Hunger Connecticut!, a statewide anti-hunger organization.

The Department of Social Services reported earlier this month that there is an increase of 30% of new SNAP, or Food Stamp, participants over the last year. “Take a look around you and you’re likely to see someone in need of food today. I think this is as clear a call as possible that we need to ensure our friends, family and neighbors have access to the programs that help them – especially our children.”

The rate of food hardship decreased slightly in 2008 due to the decrease of the costs of food, and the increase in participation and benefits in the feeding programs. “These programs work – people in Connecticut have been slammed, like the rest of the country, but the SNAP program and school lunches were there for them” said Nolan.

The report analyzes survey data that were collected by Gallup and provided to FRAC. The ability to provide such localized data and such up-to-date data comes from Gallup’s partnership with Healthways, interviewing 1,000 households per day almost every day since January 2, 2008 as part of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index project. Through December 2009, more than 650,000 people have been asked a series of questions on a range of topics including emotional health, physical health, healthy behavior, work environment and access to basic services. Specific to this report, more than 530,000 people were asked whether there were times over
the preceding year that they did not have enough money to buy food they or their family --- needed.

The Gallup survey question on food hardship is very similar to one posed by the Census Bureau and analyzed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in its official measure of food insecurity, but because of the sample size Gallup provides us with a closer, more localized and more recent look at food hardship. Official government data on food insecurity have a nearly one-year time lag and do not go below the state level.

“The data in this report show that food hardship – running out of money to buy the food that families need – is truly a national problem. It is a national problem in the sense that the rate for the nation is so high,” said Jim Weill, president of FRAC. “And it is a national problem in the sense that rates are high in virtually every state, Metropolitan Statistical Area, and Congressional District.”

These new numbers are especially relevant as Congress looks at jobs legislation and other strategies to mitigate the damage of the recession, and reauthorizes child nutrition legislation this year. End Hunger
Connecticut! has joined FRAC in calling for improvements in a range of federal nutrition programs, including SNAP/ Food Stamps and child nutrition programs, and for more efforts to boost the economy, create more well-paying jobs and reduce unemployment.

“President Obama has set a goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015,” said Nolan. “As we can see with this new up-to-date data, the struggle with hunger is a serious problem here in Connecticut for children and adults. Not a minute can be wasted between now and 2015 if we’re to reach that goal. All corners of government, the private sector and nonprofits must work together in order to implement long-term strategies that will battle our nation’s hunger crisis.”


The full report is available at www.frac.org

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Connecticut specific information:

Excerpted from “Food Hardship: A Closer Look at Hunger (Data for the Nation, States, 100 MSAs and Congressional Districts)" at www.frac.org


Food Hardship Rate Ranking

2009 14.6% 47/51
2008 16.0% 35/51


Food Hardship 2008-2009 by presence/absence of children under 18 years : 15.1%

W/out children: 13.3 With children 18.7%


Food Hardship in 2008-09 for 100 Largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA’s)

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 14.1% 90/100
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 14.5% 86/100
New Haven-Milford, CT 16.1% 75/100


Food Hardship (08-09) by presence or absence of children under 18 – 50 Largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas:

Hartford-West Hartford- East Hartford, CT w/out children 12.7% with children 18.1%


Rates of Food Hardship by Congressional District in Connecticut
District Congressperson Rate 2008/09 National Rank
1 Larson 15.2% 304/436
2 Courtney 12.8% 358/436
3 DeLauro 15.1% 309/436
4 Himes 12.1% 380/436
5 Murphy 16.0% 280/436