Study: Nearly 1 in 5 Columbia households battle food hardship

Listen to this article

A new study shows nearly one in five households in Columbia struggled to afford food in 2017.

The capital city ranked 10th in food hardship rates among 108 metropolitan statistical areas surveyed by the Food Research Action Center, with 19.5% of responding households reporting that they did not have enough money to buy food at some point in the past 12 months.

“While often hidden behind closed doors, food hardship is a serious national problem that requires a serious national response,” Jim Weill, FRAC president, said in a news release. “Too many people in every region, state, and community have been left behind in the economic recovery from the Great Recession and are still struggling to put food on the table.”

South Carolina ranked seventh in the country, with 18.3% of households experiencing food hardship. Mississippi had the highest rate at 22%.

Nationally, food hardship rates increased from 15.1% in 2016 to 15.7% in 2017. The rate for households with children rose from 17.5% in 2016 to 18.4% in 2017.

The Southwest (19.3%) and the Southeast (17.1%) had the highest food hardship rate, the study found.

Weill urged Congress to strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides low-income households a monthly supplement to purchase food.