A new study finds that Texas families are finding it increasingly difficult to afford groceries.

A new poll finds that 77% of Texans say it has become increasingly difficult for them to afford groceries over the past year, largely because food costs are rising faster than their incomes.

This is a 4% increase compared to the last survey conducted in 2023.

No Kid Hungry Texas, an organization working to end childhood hunger, released the findings Tuesday. Mia Medina, senior program manager for the nonprofit, said families with school-age children are especially hard hit.

“More than half of public school families, about 51%, reported signs of food insecurity in the past 12 months due to cost,” she said. “In some households, the pantry may be completely empty, while in others, the mother may be skipping meals so the kids can eat.”

No Kid Hungry Texas commissioned Change Research to conduct the survey in late July. More than 1,100 people responded, about half of whom were parents.

The survey found that 60% of families with children in K-12 public schools said they had to decide whether to spend money on food or other necessities in the past 12 months. For example, more than a third of public school families said they had to choose between paying for groceries or a utility bill.

Higher food costs are also taking a toll on families’ mental health. Sixty-one percent of parents of school-age children said they were more stressed about their ability to provide nutritious food for their households than they were this time last year.

Families with household incomes below $50,000 face particularly difficult decisions at the grocery store. More than half said they bought less protein and produce because they were too expensive. Nearly two-thirds said they bought fewer healthy foods because they were cheaper.

Medina said one source of nutritious food for children that low-income families can count on is school meals.

“We know that more than half of low-income households rely on free or reduced-price meals to stretch their food budget,” she said.

Ryan Mikolaycik, executive director of food service and warehouse operations at Austin ISD, emphasized that school meals must meet federal nutritional standards.

“Many products marketed to schools are lower in sodium, fat and sugar,” he said.

In Austin ISD, just over 50% of students qualify for free and reduced-price meals. Mikolaycik said the district served 6.5 million lunches last school year, and more than 4.5 million of those went to students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals.

“That’s why our meals program plays a critical role for these families,” he said.

Almost all survey respondents said school meals should be free for students who need them and ending child hunger should be a joint effort across political parties.

Medina said she hopes Texas lawmakers will maintain and expand programs aimed at reducing food insecurity during the legislative session that begins in January, including an initiative to allow students who qualify for reduced-price meals to eat breakfast for free.

She added that the nonprofit is also advocating for the implementation of the Summer EBT Program, a new statewide program that provides qualifying families with $120 per child to purchase groceries during the school break.

Texas was one of 12 states that did not participate in the Summer EBT program this year. Texas officials previously told KUT the state was unable to participate this year because the program was implemented after the end of the 2023 regular legislative session.

Copyright 2024 KUT 90.5