Characteristics of Low-Income Households with Very Low Food Security : An Analysis of the USDA GPRA Food Security Indicator

This bulletin describes characteristics of low-income households that had very low food security in 2005. The U.S. Department of Agriculture monitors the food security of low-income households to assess how effectively the Government's domestic nutrition assistance programs meet the needs of their target populations. In 2005, 12.6 percent of low-income households - those with annual incomes less than 130 percent of the Federal poverty line - had very low food security. USDA seeks to reduce that prevalence rate as one of its strategic planning goals established under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). To achieve the USDA food security target, the food security of households with incomes that are less than 130 percent of the poverty line (less than $26,000 annual income for a family of two adults and two children) will need to surpass the current level of food security of households with incomes in the range of 130 to 150 percent of the poverty line ($26,000 to $30,000)