Food insecurity takes a toll on maternal, infant, and child health.
In 2023, 47.4 million people — including 13.8 million children — lived in food-insecure households.
Food insecurity is linked to poor health and development and is associated with some of the most common and costly health problems in the U.S. For adults and pregnant women, its linked to fair or poor health status, pregnancy complications (e.g., gestational diabetes, iron deficiency), and depression (including maternal depression). For infants and children, food insecurity is especially detrimental to health, development, and well-being, with links to low birth weight, birth defects, more frequent colds and stomachaches, development risk, increased hospitalizations, and more.