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The average American pays 21% more for food today, than they did four years ago.
This month, prices for everyday essentials like meat, fruit, vegetables and coffee were on the up — and sales of treat foods, like sweets and ice cream — were down.
And up until recently, about 42 million Americans used the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often referred to as ‘food stamps’, which helps people to buy food if they can’t afford it.
But the programme was dramatically cut by Donald Trump’s administration earlier this year, who said it discouraged people from working.
It meant millions lost their benefits completely in the biggest shake up to the system since it began in 1939.
And now, as Americans struggle to feed their families, the government has dealt another blow.
An annual survey, which measures household food insecurity has been scrapped, with the US government’s Department of Agriculture (USDA) saying it was ‘unnecessary to carry out the work of the department.’
The report has been used as the main gauge to determine whether or not Americans have adequate access to food.
In a statement the USDA said the report due to be released on October 22, would be its last.
The statement read: ‘The questions used to collect the data are entirely subjective and do not present an accurate picture of actual food security.
‘The data is rife with inaccuracies slanted to create a narrative that is not representative of what is actually happening in the countryside as we are currently experiencing lower poverty rates, increasing wages, and job growth under the Trump Administration.’
The news has been met with criticism by left-leaning commentators.
Posting on social media, Bobby Kogan, senior director of Federal Budget Policy at American Progress, wrote: ‘Trump is cancelling an annual government survey that measures hunger in America, rather than allow it to show hunger increasing under his tenure.’
A stark indicator of American food insecurity can be seen in the increase in sales of ‘Hamburger Helper’ which are up by 14.5% over the past year. The boxed-food ready-meal style product usually consists of dried pasta or rice, along with a sachet of seasonings. The idea is it can be added to proteins, to help a meal go further.
Donald Trump has been outspoken about data produced by his own government’s departments.
For example, when a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed only 73,000 jobs were created in July, Trump sacked the commissioner, and said the data was ‘rigged’.
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