Public School Families and Rural Texans are Hardest Hit by Food Affordability Crisis, With Over Half Reporting Signs of Food Insecurity
These days, sticker shock at the grocery store is fairly universal. But for many families, the response goes far beyond surprise and resignation. The hard truth of high prices and strained household budgets translates to limited options, difficult choices and delayed necessities. A new poll from No Kid Hungry Texas finds that rural families and parents of school-age children are being hit hardest by this crisis.
The poll shows some disturbing trends. More than three-quarters of Texans (77%) reported that it has become harder to afford groceries over the last twelve months. Those numbers are up from the previous year’s study, which found that 73% of Texans had a harder time affording groceries than the year before. A startling 81% of respondents say that the cost of food is rising faster than their income. Over half (51%) of public-school families and (53%) rural residents reported signs of food insecurity in the past 12 months due to cost.
One mom in Angelina County shared about the challenges she has faced to ensure her kids are fed, “I have had to take time off from work to stand in line at the local food bank to get whatever foods they were passing out, so my kids could have something to eat that day and maybe one other. My kids have had to do without meals as we didn’t have anything for them…”
As food costs rise, families are forced to make devastating tradeoffs to make ends meet. More than half (52%) of Texans have had to choose between paying for food and other essential costs in the last 12 months, including rent, utilities, gas, medicine, or repairs to the car or home. This number increases to nearly two-thirds for parents of schoolchildren and rural Texans. The real-life consequences of such choices were made clear when one parent from Dallas County shared how an unlimited grocery budget would impact their lives: “[We] would eat healthier, pay more bills on time, and not have to look at the possible repo of the family vehicle.”
Families are also being forced to make difficult trade offs at the grocery store – and it’s impacting their health. Healthier foods are the first things sacrificed in the face of high grocery costs, with Texans being forced to opt for cheaper, less nutritious foods to stretch their grocery budgets: 49% bought less (or no) protein, and 43% bought less (or no) fresh produce. Parents want to buy healthier foods, they simply can’t afford them. Asked what she would do with an unlimited grocery budget, a mom in Brazos County offered, “I could actually make my kids healthier meals for once instead of instant noodles and nuggets. My kids will be excited to eat.”
Nearly all Texans demand action on childhood hunger: 95% say that elected officials in Texas should do more to end childhood hunger and 97% say that ending childhood hunger in Texas should be a shared, bipartisan goal. As Texas kids begin a new school year, two major legislative priorities face their state’s leaders on the issue of child hunger:
- Texans overwhelmingly support Summer EBT, with 87% agreeing that Texas should participate in the program for summer 2025. By providing grocery benefits directly to families with kids eligible for free or reduced-price meals, this program can help offset the increased grocery costs families face in the absence of school meals. With an extra $40/child per month in their grocery budget, over half of parents and caregivers would prioritize buying proteins such as meat and fish (56%), as well as fresh produce (52%). Texas was one of only 13 states not to offer the program in 2024 – but the state has an opportunity to provide this critical benefit to 3.8 million kids in 2025, bringing over $450 million in federal dollars into the state.
- The Texas legislature approved $6.6 million for the 2024-25 biennium, helping nearly 70,000 reduced price eligible kids receive school breakfasts at no cost, but without action, these essential meals will disappear. A second budget approval for the upcoming 2026-27 biennium will be needed so that kids can continue to rely on a nutritious start to their learning day.
Given this wealth of troubling hunger statistics and the near-unanimous demand for action, we urge elected officials in Texas to implement longstanding policy solutions that are proven to reduce hunger. Texas’ children are counting on it.
No Kid Hungry Texas commissioned the survey from Change Research, which surveyed 1,133 Texas adults including many parents of school-aged children. The poll was fielded between July 22 – 26, 2024 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.4%. A summary of the results is available, along with the questionnaire, methodology, and full results, here.