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Due to the pandemic, almost 20% of US children do not have enough food

Photo: REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst

The economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been devastating for the United States. And the last figure that reflects it illustrates how it affects the smallest. According to a report from the Brookings Institute published this Wednesday, almost one in five children aged 12 and under – specifically, 17.4 percent – suffers from food insecurity.

The figure is unprecedented in the country’s modern history and is three times higher than that registered at the sharpest point of the 2008 financial crisis – known as the “Great Recession” – when it reached 5.7 percent. From 2011 to 2018 – when the latest statistics were released – it always remained below 5 percent. And that year it was 3.1 percent, representing an increase of 460 percent.

“These numbers are much higher than I expected. These are homes that are reducing their portions or making children skip meals, “said Lauren Bauer, a member of the Brookings Institute and author of the report. “It is alarming, “he added, one day before the government publishes its unemployment report, which is also expected to reach unprecedented levels..

Bauer’s statistics also show that 23 percent of households in the country said they did not have money to buy enough food, compared to 16 percent who were in the same situation in 2008. AND the numbers increase substantially for those who have children: it currently stands at 35 percent, when it was 21 percent in the Great Recession.

The graph of the report shows the different percentages of households suffering from food insecurity - divided by characteristics - and their increase as a consequence of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Source: Brookings Institute / Hamilton Project

The graph of the report shows the different percentages of households suffering from food insecurity – divided by characteristics – and their increase as a consequence of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Source: Brookings Institute / Hamilton Project

The academic explained that households and children are considered to be food insecure when they experienced any of the following statements: “The food we bought did not last and we had no money to get more ”; “The children in my home did not eat enough because we did not have enough money to buy enough food” 3.4 percent of the households indicated that these statements are real “followed”.

However, Bauer indicated that even these figures may not accurately reflect the actual number of children suffering from food insecurity. To substantiate the assertion, he said that in 2018, despite the fact that 3.1 percent of households indicated that they were in this situation, the figure was close to 7.4 percent. By extrapolating this ratio, then, more than a third of children in the United States would not have enough food.

In addition, he indicated, almost 41 percent of households with children under 12 years of age underreported their food insecurity, compared to 15.1 percent in 2018. The percentage of underreporting, then, increased 170 percent.

The graph reflects the sharp increase in the indices. Source: Brookings Institute / Hamilton Project

The graph reflects the sharp increase in the indices. Source: Brookings Institute / Hamilton Project

Bauer said that to remedy the situation, Congress should increase funding for food security programs and ensure that they are kept at a level consistent with economic statistics.

April’s economic information will be in line with these alarming figures. The unemployment rate for April will be published on Thursday and many experts they expect it to be above double digits, with forecasts that even take it above 20%.

This Wednesday, the consulting firm ADP reported that in the first weeks of April, the US private sector alone lost more than 20.2 million jobs. And since mid-March, at least 30 million people have lost their jobs.

That scenario would be worse than that of the financial crisis of the past decade and would bring the number of unemployed to levels that had not been reached since the Great Depression. During the global financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, job loss totaled 8.6 million and the unemployment rate came to 10%.

“We are going down the elevator, we are going to need to go up the stairs,” said Tom Barkin, president of the Federal Reserve subsidiary (central bank) of Richmond, in a recent speech.

And the president of the national Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, warned that in the second quarter the United States economy It is going to contract to an “unprecedented” level. But he assured that the agency is “committed” to using its entire arsenal of measures to counter the situation.

More on this topic:

The United States Federal Reserve is “committed” to doing everything it can against the economic crisis caused by the pandemic

The US plans to issue debt for almost three trillion dollars to face the economic impact of the coronavirus

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