Food Insecurity In MA Hits New High: 1.9 Million Struggling

MASSACHUSETTS — The number of households in Massachusetts living with food insecurity hit a new recent high in 2023, with about 1.9 million residents struggling due to factors like inflation, the cost of housing and continued fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new Greater Boston Food Bank study.

The 34 percent of households that experienced food insecurity in 2023 were on average $60 shy each week of affording enough food. Alleviating that burden would've cost about $1.7 billion statewide, the study found. Safety nets like SNAP food assistance and food banks were not enough to make up the gap, with many included in the study already using two or more food assistance programs.

The study also found wide racial and social disparities around hunger. Black, Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native households and members of the LGBTQ+ community all had food insecurity levels of 50 percent or greater. This year's study also included college students for the first time, discovering that about 44 percent of that population struggled with food insecurity.

"Food insecurity is closely linked to cardio metabolic diseases — including hypertension and diabetes — which are major contributors to premature mortality and reduced life expectancy across the Commonwealth and in the communities served by Mass General Brigham,” Chief Community Health & Health Equity Officer at Mass General Brigham Elsie Taveras said in a news release. "Lack of access to healthy, nutritious food continues to disproportionately impact communities of color and other traditionally marginalized groups."

Some of the top reasons study participants listed for not being able to afford food include high food prices, the high cost of housing, and jobs that don't pay enough.

RELATED: For Thousands In MA, A Job Still Means Relying On SNAP

The GBFB and its partners began assessing food insecurity in Massachusetts in 2020 as many state residents lost jobs during the pandemic. Mass General helped conduct this year's study with financial support from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Some of the highest rates of food insecurity in the state were found around cities including Springfield, Worcester, Boston, Pittsfield, New Bedford and Fall River. Here are the insecurity rates by county, according to the study:

• Bristol 48%
• Hampden 48%
• Berkshire 45%
• Suffolk 45%
• Worcester 38%
• Franklin 37%
• Hampshire 37%
• Essex 36%
• Plymouth 36%
• Middlesex 27%
• Norfolk 18%
• Barnstable, Dukes, Nantucket 20%

The study provided suggestions for policymakers to solve the hunger problem. At the top of the list: better funding for the state's emergency food program, MEFAP, which supports the network of food banks across the state. The authors also want federal and state lawmakers to permanently fund school meal programs, including free summer meals for young people.

Read the full GBFB study here.