California Food Insecurity Surge: New Research Finds 16 Million Struggle to Afford Food

At Food ACCESS Conference, California Association of Food Banks (CAFB) released a county-by-county dashboard showing nearly 16 million Californians—about 40 % of the state—cannot afford basic living costs, including food.

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Rising grocery, gas, and rent prices with stagnant wages have driven the surge in food insecurity. Proposed cuts to SNAP (CalFresh) and USDA food assistance could further shrink the safety net for families.

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• 16 million Californians (? 40 % of the state) lack sufficient income for basic needs.

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• 1 in 4 Californians face food insecurity; the rate rises to 1 in 3 among households with children.

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Jared Call, CAFB’s director of public policy and advocacy, presented Urban Institute data; over 450 anti-hunger advocates urged state lawmakers for funding. CAFB seeks $110 million this year, up from $80 million request.

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CAFB officials said food banks serve higher-income households that have never needed assistance, and warned that without increased state appropriations they cannot purchase food in bulk and sustain distribution. Conference organizers urged volunteers and donors to support local food banks, noting that monetary contributions enable bulk purchasing.

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Advocates warned that SNAP and USDA cuts could push more families into reliance on charitable food distribution and undermine the state’s duty to address food insecurity, especially for children and moderate-income earners.

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The estimates rely on Urban Institute data; no statewide surveys were cited, leaving uncertainty about the magnitude of unmet need across counties.

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> "We have some new data that was provided to us through Urban Institute that really shines a light on how the high cost of living in California is impacting people's ability to afford their basic needs like food. About one in four Californians deals with food insecurity, and that number goes up to one in three for households with children. But we see this even among higher or more moderate-income levels. A family of four who's making $132,000 per year; nine percent of those families are reporting food insecurity. Those are just the people who may be turning to food banks for the first time as we see." — Jared Call, Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, California Association of Food Banks

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> "The cost of food, the cost of gas, the cost of rent, everything rising, and salaries and wages not keeping up. We're going to see a lot of new people and first-time people at food banks for the first time." — Jared Call, Director of Public Policy & Advocacy, California Association of Food Banks

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State legislators will consider CAFB’s $110 million funding request in the upcoming budget cycle. The Food ACCESS Conference continues through Tuesday, offering a venue for further proposals to mitigate the projected rise in food-bank reliance.

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