What is Hunger?

The word hunger can mean two different things.

The first relates to appetite and is the body’s response to a need for nourishment. Through stomach rumbling, the body alerts the brain to eat. This uneasy sensation is easily addressed with a snack or a full meal.

The second meaning is more serious and relates to a weakened condition that is a consequence of a prolonged lack of food. People who suffer from this form of hunger typically experience malnutrition, poor growth, and delayed development.

Adequate food intake that meets nutritional requirements is essential to achieve a healthy, productive lifestyle. However, millions of people in North America (and many more around the world) experience hunger due to a lack of reliable access to enough food. Economic hardship can worsen this issue. For example, the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic created a lack of resources and an inflated price of food, making it difficult for many to afford adequate food for themselves and their families.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), “close to 12 percent of the global population was severely food insecure in 2020, representing 928 million people – 148 million more than in 2019.^[1]” Every night, millions of people go to sleep hungry due to a lack of money and resources needed to acquire an adequate amount of food.

To understand hunger more clearly, it helps to know a few related terms. Food security and food insecurity describe whether people have reliable access to enough food. Malnutrition, refers to the health problems resulting from unmet nutrient needs.

Food Security Versus Food Insecurity

Most American households are considered to be food secure, which means they have adequate access to food and consume enough nutrients to achieve a healthy lifestyle. However, some experience food insecurity at certain points during their life, which means their access to food is limited due to a lack of resources to meet nutritional needs.

According to the USDA, about 48 million people live in food-insecure households and around 12 million households live with very low food security, which means one or more people in the household were hungry at some point over the course of a year due to the inability to afford enough food.^[2] Low food security households are defined as those that had food access issues but are able to obtain enough food to avoid major disruptions in eating patterns. On the other hand, very low food security households are defined as those that experience disrupted eating patterns, and members of the household may be going hungry. Black and Hispanic households, and households with a lower income, experience food insecurity at rates above the national average.

Households with limited resources employ a variety of methods to increase their access to adequate food. Some families purchase junk food and fast food—cheaper (and unhealthier) options. Other families who struggle with food security supplement the groceries they purchase by participating in government nutrition assistance programs or by visiting food banks or soup kitchens.

Malnutrition

A person living in a food insecure household may suffer from malnutrition, which happens when the body does not get the nutrients it needs. This can occur as a result of consuming too little food overall, or not enough key nutrients.

Worldwide, three main groups are most at risk of hunger:

• the rural poor in developing nations who also lack access to clean water and electricity,
• the urban poor who live in expanding cities and lack the means to buy food, and
• victims of war, natural disasters, and other emergencies.^[3]

In the US, there are additional subgroups that are at higher risk to face hunger and malnutrition including low-income families, the working poor, older adults, those experiencing homelessness, and children.

Older adults are more vulnerable because they face unique challenges like poor mobility, social isolation, chronic disease, and difficulty shopping for and preparing foods.

Homelessness and poverty typically go hand-in-hand, and homeless individuals are more at risk since they are reliant on shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries, and public assistance to eat.

Children are an especially vulnerable population since food insecurity interferes with their growth, development, concentration, and school performance. This can lead to poor academic performance and more frequent illness. According to the USDA, approximately 14 million children in the US live in food insecure households.^[4]

Government Food Assistance Programs

The federal government has been involved in hunger relief for decades. During the Great Depression, food shortages were common, and the first Food Stamp program began in 1939 and ended during World War II. Food assistance returned in the 1960s, and was rebranded in 2008 as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).^[5]

Since then, federal food programs have continued to evolve and now provide a safety net for millions of Americans, including children, pregnant women, older adults, and low-income families.

Eligibility for many of the food assistance programs that are available is based on the federal poverty level (FPL). This monetary figure is a government measure of the minimum income that a family would need to acquire shelter, food, clothing, and other necessities. It is calculated based on family size and is adjusted for annual inflation.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest federal nutrition assistance program in the US and provides monthly benefits for eligible low-income households to purchase approved food items at authorized stores. In 2025, SNAP provided benefits to around 22 million households in the US.^[6] Benefits are provided through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards that function like a debit card. In 2025, the average SNAP benefit per person was around $188 per month with total benefit costs nationwide reaching around $95 billion dollars.^[7]

The Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children 

The Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) helps pregnant women, breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to the age of five get the nutrition they need for healthy growth and development. WIC provides participants with food packages based on their specific nutritional needs, nutrition counseling, and breastfeeding support. In 2023, the program served around 6.6 million participants nationwide.^[8]

The National School Lunch Program & The School Breakfast Program

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) help ensure that children in elementary and middle schools receive at least one healthy meal each school day, or two if both the NSLP and SBP are provided. For some students, these school meals are a major part of their daily food intake.

These programs operate in thousands of schools and child-care institutions across the country, supporting nutrition and helping students stay focused and ready to learn. In 2024, the NSLP provided lunches to an average of around 30 million children each day, and about 72.5 percent of those lunches were free or reduced-price^[9]

Senior Nutrition Programs

For many years, we have recognized that good nutrition is essential for healthy aging. However, many older adults are malnourished because of low income, lack of transportation to grocery stores, and declining physical and mental health.

To alleviate the problem, the Older Americans Act (OAA) Nutrition Program provides funding to serve a healthy meal five days a week for individuals aged 60 or older. Unlike SNAP, WIC, and school meal programs, this program is managed through the U.S. Administration on Aging rather than the USDA.

Meals are provided in two primary ways:

• Home-delivered meals, sometimes known as Meals on Wheels, helps sick, home-bound older adults by delivering a hot meal each weekday. The volunteers who deliver meals often visit with the older adult, and ensure the senior citizen is safe.
• Congregate meals are served at senior centers or other community sites, where older adults can enjoy both a meal and social interaction.

This section is an adaptation of “Food Insecurity” in Human Nutrition: 2020 Edition Food Insecurity by University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Food Science and Human Nutrition Program licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.