CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A survey done for DC-based Share Our Strength’s No Did Hungry Virginia campaign shows rising food costs are putting nearly half — 45% — of Virginians into debt, and the challenge is even more pronounced in the Charlottesville area. The survey finds for families with kids in school, that percentage rises to 52%.
No Kid Hungry notes as consumers continue to navigate high living costs, they asked more than 1,100 Virginians how grocery affordability is impacting their daily lives and families. More than eight in ten Virginians (84%) say the cost of food is rising faster than their income, nearly identical to findings (83%) from 2024.
Blue Area Food Bank’s Les Sinclair says they’ve been seeing that in demand with visits to their pantries up 16% over last year… which was up 16% from the year before.
“Certainly since the end of the pandemic when food went up 20-some-odd percent and has continued to go up, while the inflation is not raising food prices to that degree, they going up. Just not as fast,” Sinclair said.
And the problem is worse in Charlottesville and Albemarle County with the Map the Meal Gap numbers showing Charlottesville with the 3rd highest cost of a meal in the Commonwealth.
Sinclair said, “it costs over $4.60 for a meal in Charlottesville; and in Albemarle, it’s just over $4 in Albemarle, even in Fluvanna it’s $3.79.”
“And those numbers are a couple of years old because they come from the government, and there’s a little bit of a lag time.”
The survey continues that six-in-ten (60%) adults and two-in-three (65%) families say they have to choose between buying enough nutritious food and affording other essentials, like paying for gas or transportation, utilities, rent or mortgage payments, health care for themselves or a child, education expenses and saving for retirement. The results suggest an increase from last year when 46% of Virginians reported making at least one challenging trade-off between food and another expense.
Over half of households with children (61%) report that their mental health has suffered due to food costs, while 48% say their physical health has declined. Nearly half of these families (49%) have skipped meals or eaten less to make ends meet and 57% report that it is hard to make sure that their household has enough nutritious food to eat.
“The latest numbers highlight the physical, mental and financial tolls food insecurity can have on families and communities,” said Sarah Steely, Director of No Kid Hungry Virginia. “Parents should never have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their children. We must continue protecting and strengthening nutrition policies that connect students and families with healthy foods while supporting Virginia’s farmers, small businesses, and local economies.”
When asked how rising food costs have affected their household’s health and well-being, respondents shared that they are often forced to buy less fresh produce and protein because it is too expensive, to rely on packaged food because it lasts longer, or to cut back on portion sizes.
Click here to view the survey.
