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Why do some states still have a grocery tax?

Sep 6, 2023
The poorest Americans spend the largest share of their paychecks on food at home.
Across the U.S., state grocery taxes can range from less than 1% to 7% on non-prepared foods.
Elijah Nouvelage

USDA proposes rules to expand access to free school lunches

Mar 29, 2023
The agency wants to help more school districts cover the costs of universal free meals.
Universal free meals kept a lot of kids from going hungry at the height of the pandemic, said the Urban Institute's Emily Gutierrez.
Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

A year into the Ukraine war, global food insecurity is at a record high

Feb 23, 2023
In many countries, including Egypt, staples like bread have become much more expensive and harder to come by.
Roger Anis/Getty Images

Food-insecure households spend more on health care

Jan 10, 2023
People who struggle to afford food have 20% higher health care costs than those who don't, partly the result of a cheaper, less healthy diet, a study finds.
Some doctors prescribe fruits and vegetables to boost patient health.
Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images

At food banks, need is up, donations are down

Jan 2, 2023
Donations of both money and food are down. That's straining food banks at a time when more people are relying on them again.
“'Food shelf near me' is in the top 10 searches in our area," said Allison O’Toole at Minnesota's Second Harvest Heartland food bank.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Ending hunger a battle on many fronts, over many months, says CEO of Feeding America

Inflation, supply chain problems and wealth disparities remain barriers to solving hunger, says Claire Babineaux-Fontenot of Feeding America.
Residents of Bronx, New York, received food donations in September. "Making meaningful, sustainable progress by the end of this decade is doable. We have to choose to do it," says Claire Babineaux-Fontenot.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

China's lockdowns continue to disrupt personal lives and the global economy

Sep 12, 2022
"There was a convenience shop owner nearby me who ate nothing but instant noodles for weeks," says Marketplace's Jennifer Pak.
A guard wears protective clothing as he stands next to a barrier fence outside a Beijing apartment under lockdown in June.
Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

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For Social Security recipients, "there’s no keeping up" with rising costs

Aug 15, 2022
The program is expected to provide a large benefits increase in 2023. Until then, many on fixed incomes have to tighten their budgets.
Marketplace Senior Economics Contributor Chris Farrell outlines the benefits of this month's boost to government retiree benefits.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The "hungriest summer": Food banks say food insecurity is rising again

Jul 18, 2022
Higher food prices and the loss of pandemic-era supports mean that not only are more families using food banks, they're visiting them more often, advocates say.
Staff and volunteers at the Hungry Monk food pantry prepare and distribute fruit and vegetables to local residents at their church in Queens, New York on March 26, 2022.
ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images

Pandemic-driven poverty in New York City persists amid recovery, report finds

The report from Robin Hood and Columbia University sheds light on the enduring economic hardship faced by many New Yorkers.
New data from Robin Hood and Columbia University paint a picture of poverty in New York City amid multiple crises.
Brad Barket/Getty Images for Action/2015

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