Myth vs. Data
Myth: A job guarantees food security.
False. 58% of food-insecure households had at least one adult employed in 2023.
Myth: Food insecurity just looks like worrying about not having enough food.
What it actually looks like: A severity spectrum – from worry (92.7%) to not eating for a whole day (13.2%).
Myth: Higher income households can’t be food insecure.
6.2 million households above 185% federal poverty level were food insecure in 2024.
Myth: Food insecurity is a permanent state.
False. Most spells are episodic – averaging 7 months/year, with >50% resolved within 2 years.
Myth: If parents are food insecure, the kids must be too.
In roughly half of cases, parents absorb the hardship. When severity escalates, the protective barrier collapses.