Inflation is hitting military families in many ways – and the kitchen is one. In 2022, Blue Star Families released a statistic from their research that 14% of enlisted families in the military go hungry. In 2023, the Rand Corp released research that more than 25% of active-duty service members lacked access to enough food.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food insecurity as the “limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.” Low food security is defined as households with reduced quality, variety, and desirability of their diets and the quantity of food intake and normal eating patterns without substantial disruption. Very low food insecurity is defined as when one or more household members disrupts eating patterns or food intake due to a lack of money or other resources for food.
Food insecurity is not an unknown stressor to military families. In 2020, Rand Corp’s study showed that 15.4% of active-duty service members were classified as having low security per the USDA’s definition in 2018, with 10.4% being identified as having very low food security. At that study’s time, those living on a military installation were more likely to have food insecurity, with 32% of those with food insecurity living on installation and 23% living off installation. Thirty-two percent of service members living on base and receiving a basic allowance for housing (BAH) were more likely to be food insecure, while those living on base without BAH (25%).
What is most shocking about this is that those affected weren’t junior enlisted families with large families. Instead, the study listed that 67% of those affected were those ranked E4-E6, with more marking themselves as single with children versus married without children. This may be in part due to the effort of on-base food pantries and local organizations offering food assistance to only junior enlisted. In fact, the study demonstrated that only 14% of those classified as food insecure had used assistance programs like Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), food banks, SNAP, or Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance (FSSA).
The barriers to accessing food assistance programs may be a combination of many factors. It may be purely due to a lack of knowledge or eligibility. Although anecdotal reports of mid-ranking families stated, they were told they made $100- $200 more than allowed to qualify, and that couple hundred dollars didn’t go far in the grocery store. Another possible barrier to food assistance is the lack of asking – that there may be a social and career stigma to being an E5, or E6, and asking for assistance.
In years passed, the answer to the food insecurity issue included opening the free or reduced lunch program to military families. It was found that this worked better when schools were on a military base versus off. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of Fiscal Year 2020 added a Basic Needs Allowance, which has been expanded in the following years to address the needs. This is obviously not enough as inflation increases and the number of military families reporting food insecurity increases.
The question of food insecurity among the military will need to be addressed continually. The civilian population with similar characteristics to their military counterparts reported food insecurity at a rate of 9% compared to 25% for military active-duty service members. Is it due to a pay gap for those positions? Is it due to a lack of resources for those ranking families? Is it due to any other myriad of factors? This needs to be answered. If it is due to a civilian pay gap, will the promise of potentially getting retirement for those enlisted be enough to continue in service as retirement pay and options continue to be chipped away? Will this lead to a recruitment concern? Inflation is not helping anyone shopping in the grocery store right now, and it certainly is not helping those already with concerns about food insecurity.
They need to subsidize commissary products or find more affordable vendors to buy from, rather than throwing more money at food assistance programs.
The prices are so high at the commissary, most active duty in our area find it cheaper to shop at Walmart, Aldi and surrounding stores..
In my opinion, Commissaries are too expensive on simple food items. One can get the same food (Walmart) for much less. Many people don’t know this. Also, remember, that the Commissaary charges 5% surcharge wich is added to the overall cost. Walmart does not add surcharge or tax on food.
Having my say on that I would like to point out that many Commissaries have bags of food for needy people to purchase. If everyone, that can afford $10 or $15 would buy a bag when checking out we would not have so many hungry people.