85% of New Yorkers report the cost of food was outpacing their income, with parents of school children and rural households hurting the most
Roughly half of New Yorkers now purchase less—or no—nutritious foods like fresh produce and proteins because of rising prices
As New Yorkers grapple with an affordability crisis, rising food prices are adding to their cost of living according to a new poll commissioned by No Kid Hungry New York. 85 percent of New Yorkers reported that the cost of food was rising faster than their income. As a result, nearly 4 in 5 households said it had become harder to afford groceries over the past 12 months—the highest percentage tracked yet in their annual poll.
Those challenges are affecting how much New Yorkers buy and what foods they choose. Just under half of New Yorkers (43%) reported a sign of food insecurity due to rising prices like eating less nutritious food or not having enough to eat. Roughly half of New Yorkers said they now purchase less—or no—fresh produce and proteins like meat because of their cost. Those figures are significantly higher for parents of school-age children and households in rural areas.
“Affordability is about more than just the rent. For millions of our neighbors—especially families with kids—the affordability crisis is a painful reality every time they get in the grocery checkout line. Our poll shows rising food prices are outpacing families’ incomes in every part of the state. And because of it, New Yorkers are facing hunger, being forced to purchase less healthy food and becoming increasingly stressed about their ability to make ends meet,” said Rachel Sabella, Director of No Kid Hungry New York. “New Yorkers are more united than ever in saying they want bipartisan action to end child hunger.”
The poll was conducted by Change Research between March 16 and 20 and surveyed 1,673 New Yorkers across the state and has a margin of error of +/- 3.3%. Read the poll summary here: https://state.nokidhungry.org/new-york/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/04/No-Kid-Hungry-NY_Poll-Results-Spring-2024.pdf.
Statewide Takeaways:
Record Difficulty Affording Food: 79% of New Yorkers said it had become harder to afford groceries over the past year. This compares to 73% this time last year, after post-pandemic inflation had peaked. 85% of New Yorkers said the cost of food was rising faster than their income.
Even Solidly Middle Class New Yorkers Struggling with Affordability: Large majorities of New Yorkers making less than $50,000 per year (90%), $50,000-$99,000 (87%) and over even over $100,000 (72%) said food prices were rising faster than their income.
Growing Food Insecurity: 43% of New Yorkers said they’d experienced signs of food insecurity because of cost, such as eating poorer quality or a more limited variety of food (32%) or not having enough to eat (11%).
Less Fresh, Healthy Food: 51% of New Yorkers bought less (or no) meat, fish, eggs, or other protein due to cost, and 45% bought less (or no) fresh produce. 37% bought more rice or other “filler” foods to stretch healthier ones.
More Stress: 58% of New Yorkers report being more stressed figuring out how to afford enough nutritious food compared to this time last year.
Rural New Yorkers Hurting: 91% of New Yorkers in rural communities reported food prices rising faster than income, and reported higher than average difficulty affording food (89%), signs of food insecurity (57%) and stress (68%).
Public School Parents Hurting: 87% of families with kids in public school reported food prices rising faster than income with an equal proportion reporting higher than average difficulty affording food (87%), signs of food insecurity (56%) and stress (71%).
Demand for Action: 93% of New Yorkers strongly (80%) or somewhat (13%) agreed that ending child hunger in New York should be a bipartisan goal.
New York City Takeaways:
78% of New York City households said the cost of food was rising faster than their income, and 70% indicated it had become harder to afford groceries in the past year
41% of New York City households bought less (or no) meat, fish, eggs, or other protein due to cost, and 30% bought less (or no) fresh produce. 24% bought more rice or other “filler” foods to stretch healthier ones.
28% of New York City public school parents noted a decline in the quality of school meals, the highest of any subgroup in the state, likely driven by budget cuts that reduced school meal options, prior to a restoration this spring.
One New York City parent responded that if she had more resources for groceries, “I would buy fresh produce, fresh fish, and fresh meat all the time, much more often than I possibly can now. Our family would actually be able to have 3 healthy meals a day instead of 2 meals of whatever we are able to afford or get from friends.”
Eastern Upstate Takeaways (ex: Capitol District, Mohawk Valley, North Country) :
84% of households in the eastern part of Upstate New York said the cost of food was rising faster than their income, and 88% indicated it had become harder to afford groceries in the past year
62% of households in the eastern part of Upstate New York bought less (or no) meat, fish, eggs, or other protein due to cost, and 63% bought less (or no) fresh produce. 32% bought more rice or other “filler” foods to stretch healthier ones.
A mom from Upstate responded that if she had more resources for groceries, she would use it for: “More fruits and vegetables, my kids would have healthier snacks for school and I’d be able to put some of the money that now goes to the increased groceries to my mortgage, electric, student loans, and my kids could participate in activities outside of school.”
Western Upstate Takeaways (ex: Buffalo area, Genesee Valley, Southern Tier):
91% of households in the western part of Upstate New York said the cost of food was rising faster than their income, and 89% indicated it had become harder to afford groceries in the past year
59% of households in the western part of Upstate New York bought less (or no) meat, fish, eggs, or other protein due to cost, and 60% bought less (or no) fresh produce. 50% bought more rice or other “filler” foods to stretch healthier ones.
A Western New York parent responded in the survey to underscore the importance of school meals: “I know the school meals are nutritious for my child. We receive free meals so it’s one less thing I need to worry about in a budget and I do not have to worry if my child will go hungry or not.”
Long Island Takeaways:
87% of Long Island households said the cost of food was rising faster than their income, and 80% indicated it had become harder to afford groceries in the past year
52% of Long Island households bought less (or no) meat, fish, eggs, or other protein due to cost, and 46% bought less (or no) fresh produce. 53% bought more rice or other “filler” foods to stretch healthier ones.
A young mom on Long Island responded that if she had more resources for groceries, “My infant would never run out of formula and I wouldn’t worry how to get more until a paycheck comes in.”
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