US food insecurity surged when inflation ticked up in 2022

The percentage of Americans experiencing food insecurity, meaning that they had either regular or occasional trouble getting enough food to eat, rose in 2008 due to the Great Recession, remained high for several years and then gradually declined. In 2022 and 2023, when inflation led to swift growth in food prices, the food insecurity rate rose again. It stood at 13.5% in 2023.