Opportunities to Improve Food Equity & Access in Massachusetts: Ending Hunger—Together

The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) has released its third annual statewide report on food insecurity, equity, and access: “Opportunities to Improve Food Equity & Access in Massachusetts: Ending Hunger—Together.”

The study estimates 1 in 3 adults in Massachusetts experienced food insecurity at some point during 2022 (32% or 1.8 million adults), the same as in 2021.

GBFB conducted its third annual statewide study in collaboration with Mass General Brigham and with support from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) through a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant.

GBFB conducted this survey to:
• Identify changes in rates of food insecurity and food assistance use.
• Document barriers to and facilitators of food pantry utilization and SNAP enrollment.
• Develop data-driven recommendations to improve food access equity through programmatic, policy and advocacy efforts

This report highlights the continued elevated levels of food insecurity Massachusetts households are facing, and the experiences they have with the food bank network and state and federal nutrition assistance programs. Despite the challenges we are facing, Massachusetts has the opportunity to leverage its expertise as a national leader, support its existing infrastructure and programming, and utilize lessons learned from the pandemic and this research to pursue a statewide holistic approach to end hunger in the Commonwealth.