A new report from the University of Missouri finds that more people are struggling to put food on the table.
Every two to three years, the Missouri Hunger Atlas tracks food insecurity trends across the state to provide a clear picture of where help is needed most. According to the report, since 2021, food insecurity has inched up, with close to 780,000 Missourians facing uncertainty about where their next meal will come from and more experiencing severe hunger.
The 2025 report's lead author, Bill McKelvey, senior project coordinator at Mizzou's Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security, said several factors are driving the trend.
"Increasing rates of food insecurity are really coinciding with higher inflation," he said, "and then also, the conclusion of a number of pandemic-era support programs. Kind of looking to the present, we have changes to the SNAP program, ongoing concerns with inflation."
Between 2021 and 2023, McKelvey said, Missouri saw close to a 10% jump in the number of households facing food insecurity, and an even steeper rise in those experiencing the most severe hunger. He said the report helps food pantries and agencies make a stronger case for funding and resources to meet the needs.
The report also highlights groups hit hardest by rising food insecurity, with child hunger climbing to more than 15% statewide, and in some counties affecting more than one in five kids. Among seniors, the report reveals, about 8 percent struggle to consistently get enough to eat.
McKelvey noted that the data also debunks many preconceived notions about those in need.
"Really, it affects all different types of people," he said, "folks who may be working but just not earning enough, or people who may be out of work for different reasons, may have a disability that prevents them from working."
National statistics from 2022 show that about 20 percent of food-insecure households were in the mid-range or higher-income brackets.
The Missouri Public News Service, a partner with KRCU Public Radio, originally published this story.
