More than 80 percent in the survey said they were hungry, but didn't eat because they couldn't afford food.
The 2014 report, released on Wednesday, found that the majority of American households (86 percent) have access to enough food and are food secure throughout the year. However, a minority of households (14 percent, or 17.4 million) experience food insecurity, which means their access to food was limited by a lack of money or other resources.
MT @NWHarvest: Food insecurity has not returned to pre-recession levels: 14% of American households still struggle. http://t.co/r3vxKokevd— IAM District 751 (@IAM751) September 9, 2015
More than 80 percent of people classified as food insecure said at some point in the past year they weren't able to buy enough food to last until the end of the month, and more than 75 percent reported they could not afford a balanced meal.
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said the report was a reflection of the economy and remarked that "two million fewer people [are living] in a state of food insecurity today compared to 2011."
"This report ... reflects the continued importance of anti-poverty and nutrition programs, including SNAP and healthier school meals, which help to keep food insecurity from rising," he added in a statement.
1 in 5 US children live below poverty line, more than during Great Recession - report http://t.co/HKkngI7pBn pic.twitter.com/NFLH3aRMOh— RT America (@RT_America) July 21, 2015
While there was a drop in insecure households in the 3 years from 2011 to 2014, from a peak of 14.9 percent to 14 percent, the annual percentage of households that were food insecure prior to the 2008 financial crisis hovered at around 11 percent.
"Set in the context of our economic recovery, [the numbers] are devastating," Billy Shore, founder of the anti-hunger non-profit group Share Our Strength told CNN Mondy. "Wall Street has recovered. The auto industry has recovered. Hungry Americans are almost exactly where they were."
The report also highlighted racial disparities in food insecurity. While 10.5 percent of white households suffered from food insecurity last year, the number was more than double for Hispanic households at 22.4 percent, and hit 26.1 percent for black households. The hardest hit were families with incomes below the federal poverty level (just over $24,000 for a family of four), households with children headed by single women or single men, women living alone, and households located in rural areas.
Nearly 40% of African-American children living in poverty - study http://t.co/C8gPFiLs5N pic.twitter.com/t8dOLTPbMI — RT America (@RT_America) July 16, 2015
Although many of these households receive federal food benefits and emergency supplies from food banks, Politico argued that many of the food benefits, such as SNAP, come in one lump sum each month, and often families run out of food late in the month. Under the SNAP program, a family of four receives a monthly allowance of $649.
"This report also reflects [the continued importance] of efforts to improve employment and training programs that help low-income people obtain the skills they need to find good paying jobs so they can provide enough healthy food for their families," Vilsack said.
'National moral disgrace': Over 1 in 5 US children on food stamps & living in poverty http://t.co/sP2m7piqFL pic.twitter.com/eN8QEApojz — RT America (@RT_America) January 29, 2015
Sharkagarky gave you a big raise and cut back your work hours so that you could spend more leisure time with your family. Keep in mind that Sharkagarky had to scrape a little off the top of their world-wide 16 plus billion dollars they made last year, and don’t forget that because of this momentous raise you got, Sharkagarky may suffer with a smaller tax break than they got last year, about 3 plus billion dollars, and, too, keep in mind that Sharkagarky may not be able to increase the pay of its top execs by several millions next year. Don’t you see that you’re not the victim here, Sharkagarky is, so relax and go without dinner tonight and be thankful and a proud American that your Sharkagarky CEO is having a nice steak and lobster dinner with all the trimmings and some of the finest wine in the world……..Jeeze, don’t you know you’re living the American nightmare,…er… I mean, dream? Have your wife make a little on the side and send your kids down to the nearest street corner with tin cups and tell them to look at the passers-by with teary eyes. Teary eyes and hungry looking faces will surely bring in few coins, then maybe you could have beans for breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow…….., and for gawd’s sake don’t go asking our government for more food stamps or aid, the money is better spent on bringing ‘freedom and democracy’ to countries in the Middle East than it is feeding ‘useless eaters’ like you and your kids.