Child hunger expected to rise in South Dakota this year

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization projects more children will go hungry in South Dakota this year and won’t know where their next meal is coming from. Feeding America says the child food in security rate for 2021 in South Dakota will be 16.3%, up from 15.3% in 2019. The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as reduced food intake, disruptive eating and decreased quality and variety in diets. The Argus Leader reports the USDA recently reported a national trend of increasing food insecurity, which rose to 14.8% in 2020. Before the coronavirus pandemic, food insecurity was at its lowest rate since USDA started tracking it in the late 90s.