• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Agriculture / Study concludes nearly 13% of Iowans are “food insecure”

Study concludes nearly 13% of Iowans are “food insecure”

April 6, 2011 By O. Kay Henderson

A new report concludes nearly 13% of Iowans who live in the so-called “breadbasket” of the nation are “food insecure” — often going without meals. 

Jordan Vernoy is state director of the Iowa Food Bank Association which represents the eight food banks in the state. “Each food bank is continually seeing an increase in need as emergency feeding agencies such as pantries, community kitchens and shelters see growing numbers of individuals and families in need of assistance,” Vernoy says.

According to the “Map the Meal Gap” report, 12.8 percent of Iowans are regularly going hungry.

“The data that came from the project gives us a first-time look at the number of food insecure individuals in each county, the number of food insecure individuals in income brackets, the average cost of a meal in each county and the amount of money food insecure individuals report they need in order to meet food needs,” Vernoy says.

The study found the five counties with the highest percentage of “food insecure” residents were Lee, Appanoose, Jefferson, Decatur and Wapello.  

“The ‘Map the Meal Gap’ project shows us who is hungry and where they are,” Vernoy says.

Governor Branstad says while Iowa has some of the most-productive farmland in the world, there are still too many Iowans who cannot afford to eat three meals a day. “Food insecurity differs by county and, therefore, so do the solutions,” Branstad says. 

Hungry does not equal poor, according to Branstad, who points to the report which indicates about half of those who say they regularly go without meals live above the federal poverty level.

“Food insecurity is not a problem that just cropped up overnight,” Branstad says. “…Together, we can find long-term solutions that work in every county in the state of Iowa.”

The “Map the Meal Gap” report concludes over 382,000 Iowans are “food insecure”.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Agriculture, Business, Politics / Govt Tagged With: Corn & Soybeans, Food, Legislature, Pork/Cattle, Republican Party, Terry Branstad

Featured Stories

Grundy Center man sentenced to life for killing State Trooper

Jodi Husientruit remembered 27 years after she disappeared

Iowa Supreme Court rules in Mahaska-Marion County regional airport dispute

Pheasant harvest and hunter numbers both up this year

Iowa Supreme Court overturns ruling creating constitutional abortion right

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 7/4/22

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 6/27/22

AJ Green signs with Milwaukee

Iowa to host Georgia Tech in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Iowa State adds a defensive back

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC