OLYMPIA, Wash. – Groceries were the most common expense reported as hard to afford in the past month, followed by housing, according to the latest WAFOOD survey . Rising food prices and the expiration of pandemic-era assistance programs have intensified economic pressures on households statewide.
The Washington State Food Security Surveys (WAFOOD) are an effort led by the University of Washington and Washington State University, supported in part by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). Since 2020, the WAFOOD surveys have provided key insights into food insecurity trends and food assistance use to inform policy and collaborative strategies.
"Too many Washingtonians are struggling with food insecurity and the high cost of food. The federal government's policies risk making the problem worse. That's why I worked to stop a merger of grocery giants that would have raised prices. And its why I'm working with the Legislature to ensure that every student in K-12 schools has access to free meals. We must center the people, address food prices, and protect critical access to food assistance," said Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson.
Results from the survey's fifth wave, or WAFOOD 5, conducted from August to October 2024, show that the impacts of food insecurity were felt unevenly. For example, food insecurity was more common among households with children; larger households; lower income households; and households with Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native and multi-racial respondents.
Key Findings:
- 78% of those surveyed felt that prices increased in the past month, and 82% were worried about future price increases.
- 70% of food insecure respondents reported reducing their food quantity and quality due to high costs.
- Among the 55% of surveyed respondents who used food assistance in the past month, individuals used a variety of programs tailored to different life stages and needs, with food banks/pantries, SNAP and school meals among the most-used programs.
- Stress, anxiety and depression were more common among food insecure households, with 84% of food-insecure households reporting high stress.
How food insecurity impacts health
"Food insecurity is when families can't consistently access or afford the food they need," said Dr. Jennifer Otten, professor in the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences. "Lack of access to nutritious food and not knowing where your next meal will come from — we know this leads to a range of negative health consequences. Food insecurity can lead to increased chronic disease risk, as well as long-term cognitive deficits in children and mental health challenges, including greater stress, anxiety and depression."
Dr. Marie Spiker , assistant professor in the UW Department of Epidemiology, emphasized the value of state-specific data. "The WAFOOD surveys allow us to see who is struggling the most and how economic pressures impact food spending, mental health and diet quality," she said. "Among our 5,528 survey respondents, a third of households earning $75,000–$150,000 reported food insecurity, highlighting the challenge for families not eligible for federal assistance."
Food insecurity climbs in Washington and beyond
Food insecurity has been rising nationwide since 2021, with 9.5% of Washingtonians classified as food insecure in 2023, according to USDA reports. Temporary emergency allotments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic ended in March 2023, further straining household budgets.
Results from WAFOOD 5 included 5,528 respondents from all counties in the state. In this wave and all prior waves, the WAFOOD survey intentionally oversamples households with lower incomes and those using food assistance to provide deeper insights into food insecurity throughout the state.
"This latest data confirms what our hunger relief partners across the state have been telling us. A growing number of Washingtonians are impacted by food insecurity and are worried about their ability to afford food," said Katie Rains, food policy advisor at WSDA. "WSDA continues to support this important research because food is important to everybody. We all have to eat, and we're in this together. By making this information broadly available to policymakers and community organizations, we hope to foster a shared understanding and collaborative strategies to address food insecurity and feed people well in our state in the years ahead."
