Cost of a meal in Boone County is higher than state, national averages
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
More than 26,000 people faced food insecurity in Boone County in 2022, according to new data from a Feeding America report this month.
That was around 14% of the county's population. Those numbers are up from 20,080 food-insecure people in 2021, which was 11% of the population.
The average cost of a meal also increased. In 2021, the average cost of a meal in Boone County was around $3.87. In 2022, a meal cost $4.29.
This is higher than both the state and national average costs of a meal. The Feeding America report said Missouri's average meal cost $3.84 in 2022 when the national average was $3.99.
Cole County was slightly below the national average in 2022 at $3.92 per meal. It had 9,500 food-insecure individuals that year.
Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot said the nation is seeing its highest amount of food insecurity since the financial crisis of 2008. She said the rising numbers should be concerning.
"We should all be concerned because food is so foundational to every good thing that happens for people," Babineaux-Fontenot said. "If we care about education, we should care about what's happening with hunger in America. If we care about good health, we should care about what's happening."
While food prices have long been rising, a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics last week shows grocery prices fell slightly from March to April. Grocery prices were down 0.2% in the 1-month period.
However, prices are still higher than they were a year ago. Grocery prices are 1.1% higher now compared to April 2023. Director of the University of Missouri's Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute Pat Westhoff said these numbers are a good sign.
"I'd probably focus on the fact that grocery store prices are about 1% above what they were a year ago, that's less than overall inflation in the economy and definitely a big improvement from where we were a couple years ago," Westhoff said.
Food items that have gotten cheaper over the past year include apples, eggs, ham, cheese, seafood, potatoes, coffee, milk and rice. Food items that have increased in price include beef, flour and produce.
This comes as The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri celebrated its grand opening of The Food Bank Market along Business Loop on Monday. The Food Bank Spokesperson Katie Adkins said The Food Bank Market has already served 23,054 individuals over 65,663 times since its opening in November.
The new location aims to create a grocery store-like atmosphere, as well as offer support services for those in need. The location has a kitchen demonstration area with a dietitian, Compass Health-Network on-site, as well as other community support services that come in to help people needing assistance with health, professional development or family or pet needs.
"This space was really intended to serve the whole person, to address overall health and well-being," said Lindsay Lopez, who is The Food Bank President and CEO. "It starts with food."
Lopez said the additional location allows for more storage space for The Food Bank to serve more people and store more food. On average, The Food Bank Market serves around 11,000 people per month.
Both Lopez and Babineaux-Fontenot said one of the reasons Boone County faces such a high number of food insecure individuals is due to the amount of college students in need.
"College hunger is a real, meaningful challenge for a lot of people pursuing careers--especially in community college environments--but in all college environments, that tends to be a challenge," Babineaux-Fontenot said.
