For Immediate Release

November 15, 2007

Contact: Ken Hecht, 510.409.6436, khecht@cfpa.net

10,115,000 People in California Share in Struggles to Put Food On the Table

Report finds underutilization of federal programs that alleviate hunger and improve nutrition

According to a report entitled Shared Tables, Shared Struggles released today by California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA), an estimated 10,115,000 people in California live in households experiencing a spectrum of food shortage problems.  CFPA’s report is based on data from a statewide survey conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) which found that approximately 2,486,000 low-income adults in California are food insecure.  CFPA used data on household size to calculate the number of additional people who “share a table” with those who struggle to meet their daily food needs.

“When one adult member of a household struggles to put food on the table, everyone in the household suffers,” says Ken Hecht, executive director of CFPA.  The consequences of food insecurity can be devastating.  Food insecurity can result in poor health outcomes, increased susceptibility to illness, and decreased likelihood of following medications.  Children in food insecure households are more likely to perform poorly in school and exhibit increased emotional problems.  In addition, food insecurity is also related to increased likelihood of obesity.

The federal government provides a number of nutrition assistance programs to help low-income families.  Unfortunately, these programs are severely underutilized in California.  The Food Stamp Program and the School Breakfast Program are two such programs.  The Food Stamp Program supplements working families’ income through the provision of extra purchasing power in the form of monthly benefits specifically earmarked for food purchases.  The School Breakfast Program allows low-income children to eat a free or reduced-price breakfast in school.  However, California suffers from underutilization of these important nutrition assistance programs.  In California, only half of those eligible for food stamps receive them and in Alameda County only 35% of kids who eat a school lunch also eat a school breakfast.  Aside from the missed benefits in terms of improved nutrition and health from using these programs, the state and county are also missing the federal reimbursements that come with these programs.  California could bring in up to $2,885,268,275 with stronger participation in these programs.

“Low-income people are more likely to be overweight, food insecure, and in poor health.  With rising health care costs and rising rates of obesity, we cannot afford to be turning away valuable federal resources to combat these social ills,” says Hecht.  “The future of our children and our communities depend on investments in health and nutrition today.”

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