Experiences and Ongoing Challenges of Food Insecure Households in Vermont and Maine

Statewide surveys were conducted across Maine and Vermont in late spring/ early summer 2024 to understand the current state of food access and health challenges. A total of 1,438 (720 from Maine; 718 from Vermont) responded to the surveys. Key findings include: The majority of food insecure (FI) households continued to face food access challenges closely tied to household finances, and at least 1 in 4 also struggled with transportation and time poverty challenges. FI households had up to 8 times greater prevalence of adverse financial events during and since the financial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to food secure (FS) households. On average, FI households experienced 3 adverse financial events over the past 4 years, compared to 1 among FS households. More than 1 in 4 FI households missed utility payments, had new credit card debt, only paid credit card minimums, were unable to pay medical bills/debt, missed rent payments, or took on additional work to cover costs. The majority of FI households employed multiple strategies to mitigate the effects of inflation, which likely impacted food and nutrition security including purchasing cheaper food, less produce, fewer animal products, and less food overall. FI households faced greater challenges than FS households in accessing healthcare, with at least 1 in 4 lacking transportation, money for medical visits, or being unable to get an appointment. Respondents in FI households had twice the rate of anxiety and/or depression compared to FS households (62.3% compared to 31.2%), but only 34.0% of FI respondents had received mental health therapy in the last 12 months. These findings suggest that FI households faced greater financial shocks in the last few years, which affected food acquisition, food security, and health in complex, interconnected ways. Attention to ongoing financial, transportation, and healthcare access and affordability challenges are critical in assisting households that continue to struggle with food insecurity and may not recover from shocks as well as food secure households.