Food is fundamental to human life, but more than 77,000 Maine households — more than one in ten — lacks the nutrition needed to thrive, while one in 20 households does not have enough food to meet basic caloric needs.
In the three-year period that ended with 2018, Maine had the worst food security in New England, and the 12th-worst rate in the country, according to a new report by Maine Center for Economic Policy.
Food insecurity is both a function and a driver of economic insecurity. Families in precarious economic situations are more likely to go hungry. That hunger makes it harder to gain a more secure foothold in the economy. No group of Mainers is immune from this cycle, but people of color, single-parents, and families with children are at an even higher risk of getting stuck in the loop.
