Two years of grinding inflation have left a quarter of US adults struggling to get a square meal

A quarter of American adults are struggling to afford a square meal, a marked increase on the previous year, as unrelenting inflation and the end of pandemic benefits squeezes millions of household budgets, a study says.

A survey by the Urban Institute found that 24.6 percent of respondents were food insecure at the end of 2022, meaning they could not always put enough food on the table, compared to only 20 percent at the end of 2021.

The results came as the Federal Reserve was on Wednesday weighing whether to raise interest rates to tame inflation, currently at about 6 percent, and as politicians weigh whether to reduce food stamp benefits in a broader cost-cutting drive.

Kassandra Martinchek, a researcher with the think tank, said in her report that groceries jumped by 10.4 percent in price between December 2021 and December 2022, putting everyday basics beyond the reach of many shoppers.

'Food insecurity can be a canary in the coal mine for people who are experiencing high levels of hardship and aren't able to meet their household needs,' Martinchek said on social media.

Researchers found that 24.6 percent of respondents were food insecure at the end of 2022, meaning they could not always put enough food on the table, compared to only 20 at the end of 2021

Nearly two thirds of the survey's 7,500 respondents said they'd been forced to spend much more money on groceries in the previous year; half bemoaned the rising costs of gas

The share of Americans using food banks and other types of food assistance dropped to 16 percent last year, but still remains high above the pre-pandemic levels

Nearly two thirds of the survey's 7,500 respondents said they'd been forced to spend much more money on groceries in the previous year; half bemoaned the rising costs of gas. Others complained about rising heating, rent and child care costs.

While the share of people using food banks and other charity fell from 17.4 percent in 2021 to 16 percent at the end of last year, that was still much higher than the 12.7 percent doing so in 2019 before the pandemic arrived.

Householders are increasingly buying fewer groceries or cheaper products, researchers said. Others were dipping into their savings, putting groceries on their credit cards or borrowing from friends or family to make ends meet.

The 20-page study echoes tales of hardship across the US, including a network of 21 food banks in Texas on Wednesday that asked state politicians to help out students, many of whom struggle to pay for food as well as tuition fees.

Lavern Spicer, a Republican politician who runs a food bank in Miami, Florida, said she understood 'know how bad it is right now' and blamed the administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

'24.6 percent of Americans are having trouble affording food in Joe Biden's America,' she posted on social media on Wednesday. 

'Biden does not care about helping you or making sure your life is good.'

Ro Khanna, a Democrat representative from California, called instead for the cancellation of medical to 'give Americans back their buying power.'

'98 million Americans had to cut back on food or utilities because of healthcare costs last year,' Khanna tweeted. 

'People shouldn't have to choose between groceries, keeping the lights on, or paying off medical debts.'

The findings come amid unusual and even contradictory economic indicators, including the steady creation of new jobs and a tight labor market. Even so, wages aren't keeping up with inflation, chipping away at budgets.

The eye-watering cost of eggs has encapsulated the crisis. 

The cost of a dozen jumped threefold to $4.21 in the two years to January, driven by inflation and an outbreak of avian flu. Dollar Tree, a discount store, has even stopped selling them because they cost so much.

The ending of emergency top-ups this month to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which assists more than 40 million Americans, is expected to hit struggling households in the pocket ever further.

Households across 35 states that benefited from the pandemic-era cash boost have lost between $95 and $250 per month. Struggling families will be 'more at-risk of food insecurity and lack adequate buffers and supports to meet their day-to-day needs,' researchers said.

Householders are increasingly buying fewer groceries or cheaper products, researchers said. Others were dipping into their savings, putting groceries on their credit cards or borrowing from friends or family to make ends meet

The share of people using food banks and other charity fell from 17.4 percent in 2021 to 16 percent at the end of last year, that was still much higher than the 12.7 percent doing so in 2019 before the pandemic arrived

A volunteer organizes groceries to load into vehicles during a holiday mobile food distribution from the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank