Three Square Food Bank announced the release of Feeding America’s 2022 Map the Meal Gap study, which shows food insecurity in Southern Nevada remains above pre-pandemic levels.
The annual study revealed there are 341,180– or one in seven – food-insecure individuals in Southern Nevada, a decrease of 22,570 people since last year. The food insecurity rate across Three Square’s entire service area – which includes Clark, Lincoln, Nye and Esmeralda counties – is now 15%, down from 16.3%.
The study also shows that 24.8% of children in Southern Nevada – or one in four, which equates to 130,270 – are living in food-insecure households. This is down from 25.3% in 2021.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as limited or uncertain access to enough food to live an active, healthy life.
“Seeing these numbers trend downward for the second consecutive year is very promising, but they are higher still than what we saw pre-pandemic, when Southern Nevada was already in the midst of a hunger crisis,” said Brian Burton, president and CEO, Three Square. “The pandemic exacerbated an already thriving hunger epidemic. Thanks to our exceptional volunteers, donors and community partners recovery is progressing, but we still have a long way to go in our pursuit of a hunger-free community.”
Map the Meal Gap 2022 Study
According to the study, approximately 341,180 people – or 15% of people in Southern Nevada (Clark, Lincoln, Nye and Esmeralda counties) – will not be able to secure enough food for themselves and their families for extended periods during this year. Clark County, including the greater Las Vegas valley, accounts for 98% of the total food-insecure population in Southern Nevada.
Additional findings from the national study specific to Southern Nevada include:
- Food insecure residents miss approximately 55 million meals a year, or about 161 missing meals per person.
- Food insecure individuals miss an average of 5.3 meals per week.
- The average weekly food budget shortfall is $17.97 per person across Three Square’s service area. For a family of four, this equates to about $2,180 annually.
An interactive map outlining food insecurity in Southern Nevada by zip code is available at threesquare.org/learn/research.
The study is supported by the founding sponsor Howard G. Buffett Foundation, as well as the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Nielsen. The food price data and analysis were provided by Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN), a global provider of information and insights. The lead researcher is Dr. Craig Gundersen, the Snee Family Endowed Chair at Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty (BCHP), professor in the Department of Economics at Baylor University and member of Feeding America’s Technical Advisory Group.
Additional food insecurity details and the complete Map the Meal Gap report are available at map.feedingamerica.org.
Leave a Comment