Many Californians went hungry

Almost 4 million Californians could not afford to properly feed their families during the recession of 2007 to 2009.

A study based on data from the California Health Interview Survey found one in six low-income Californians had “very low food security” in 2009, double the rate from 2001, according to a University of California press release. Food insecurity, which involves being unable to afford a balanced diet, skyrocketed alongside the state’s unemployment rate, which increased from 5 percent to 11 percent between 2007 and 2009. The state’s inflation-adjusted median household income also went down by a record decline of 5 percent from 2009 to 2010, further hampering low-income families.

“In a state that is the nation’s breadbasket, it’s sad to see that so many people don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” said study co-author Gail Harrison.