A new survey has found that more Americans are "going hungry" as government benefits shrink and grocery prices soar, Russia Today (RT) reported.
According to reports, a survey of its app users by Propel in the United States showed that nearly 44% of respondents said they could not afford to eat in April, a record high. The company has developed a mobile phone app that helps users manage "food stamp" benefits, and surveys show that food insecurity among users of the app is at "unprecedented levels" for the second month in a row.
On April 4, local time, customers shop at a supermarket in Millbrae, California, USA. The US Department of Labor released data on the same day, saying that the US consumer price index (CPI) in March rose 12% year-on-year and 3.5% month-on-month. Photo by China News Agency reporter Liu Guanguan
According to the survey results, nearly a third of respondents (32%) said they relied on family or friends for food in April. Nearly half said they couldn't afford the food they wanted; 4% said they were forced to eat less.
Rising costs of other necessities, such as energy, are exacerbating the food insecurity crisis, according to the survey. More than 43 percent of respondents had overdue utility bills or other bills, and 26 percent were in arrears on rent or mortgages. About 57% of users believe they won't have enough money to last a day or two, up nearly 4% from April.
Propel's findings suggest Americans who rely on the federal government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are struggling after 3 U.S. states began cutting benefits in March. The benefit cuts affect more than 32 million people, while U.S. grocery prices are about 3000 percent higher than they were two years ago.