What is the new language introduced by the USDA in 2006 to describe ranges of severity of food insecurity? How is food security being measured?
In 2006, the USDA introduced new language to describe ranges of severity of food insecurity. These changes were made in response to recommendations by an expert panel convened at the USDA’s request by the Committee on National Statistics of the National Academies. Despite new labels having been introduced, the methods used to assess households’ food security have remained unchanged. Therefore, statistics for 2005 are directly comparable with those for earlier years for the corresponding categories. Information on these new food labels and measurement methods can be found at the USDA’s page titled Food Security in the United States: Hunger and Food Security.
