As Americans all across the country report feeling increasingly pressed by inflated food prices, an explosive new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveals that about 18 million families — or 13.5% of U.S. households — struggled to access enough food, marking the highest levels of food insecurity in nearly a decade.

This increase represents a troubling spike from 2022, when 12.8% of households reported insecurity, and 2021, when the figure was just over 10%.

The report also highlights another alarming reality: Nearly 9% of households with children experienced food insecurity, up from 2021. And while, as the report authors put it, children are “usually shielded from the disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake that characterize very low food security,” over 380,000 families experienced days where children were hungry, skipped a meal or did not eat for a whole day because there was not enough money for food.

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According to report authors Matthew P. Rabbitt, Madeline Reed-Jones, Laura J. Hales and Michael P. Burke, the survey included “30,863 households, which comprised a representative sample of the U.S. civilian population of about 133 million households.” Researchers asked one adult respondent per household about experiences and behaviors that indicate food insecurity during calendar year 2023, such as being unable to........

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