General inflation is starting to ease, but food insecurity for American consumers is not. And while the easing of inflation could make it into President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech Tuesday night, food advocates and experts say it’s the issue of rising food insecurity that should enter the limelight. More Americans who use food stamps reported skipping meals, eating less and going to food banks to manage costs in the first month of 2023, according to the latest monthly survey by Provider, an app for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program users by Propel.
In the past month, 29.21% of the survey’s 4,184 participants said they have skipped meals. That’s a 3 percentage-point increase compared to the month before. One-fifth said they rely on family and friends to sustain themselves, up 9 percentage points from December. A bit less than a third (32.41%) reported they’ve eaten less to manage food costs, up 2 percentage points. Close to a quarter (23.55%) said they have visited a food bank in the past month, up from 21% a month earlier. Tuesday night, Biden will make the economy the centerpiece of his State of the Unio …