A Historical Retrospective of Food Insecurity and Hunger Since the 1960’s

Children’s HealthWatch’s new historical retrospectives examine the history of food insecurity and hunger since the 1960’s. The first brief describes how unemployment rates and income instability and resulting rates of poverty and food insecurity in the US have evolved over time. The second brief describes how shifts in federal investments from the public food assistance system to the private food assistance system were used to justify cuts to Federal Nutrition Programs that adversely impacted rates of food insecurity. Both briefs provide information to re-ignite and energize conversations toward identifying solutions to address food insecurity so that all children and adults in the Commonwealth have enough food to thrive.