1 In 5 Americans Have Trouble Affording Food
An increase in food prices due to the drought could mean bad news for some 18.2 percent of the American population. A new Gallup poll of 1,000 Americans found that just in this first half of 2012, nearly one in five Americans had trouble buying food.
Granted, the number is nearly the same as 2011 (18.6 percent), but the slight decrease will probably be diminished once 2012 food prices pick up due to the drought. The USDA reportedly predicts that price increases will show up in two months for beef, pork, poultry, and dairy.
Packaged and processed foods will probably have an increase some 10 to 12 months in the future.
Those in Mississippi may be hit the hardest, since 24.9 percent of adults polled in the state said they had difficulty affording food they needed to survive. Following Mississippi, the least food-secure states are Alabama (22.9 percent) and Delaware (22.1 percent), according to the poll. In Colorado, however, only 14.7 percent couldn't afford the food they needed.