Description

For 2021-prior years, FSEMRGFD indicates whether a household had a place in their community where they could get emergency food if they needed. Beginning in 2022, the questionnaire text for FSEMRGFD was updated in the Food Security Supplement survey (see questionnaire text for exact phrasing), and as a result, the USDA ERS recommends that users do not compare estimates from 2022 with estimates from previous years for this variable (see the comparability tab for more details).

This question is asked only of households that reported they did not receive emergency food from churches, food banks, or food pantries in the past year (FSFDBNK).

Only households with incomes below 185% of poverty and higher income households that indicate food access problems in response to preliminary screening questions are asked FSFDBNK and other questions in section on coping strategies to ameliorate or avoid food deprivation. Beginning in 2001, the screening procedures match those current applied to the food security section.

This variable is part of the Food Security Supplement.

Comparability

This variable is comparable for 2021-prior years. The universe varies over time, because of changes in the screening procedures for the question on receipt of emergency food. From 2001 through the present, households with incomes below 185% of poverty are automatically included in the universe for FSFDBNK. In addition, higher income households that report running short of food (FSSHORT) or not having enough to eat or enough of the kinds of foods they want to eat (FSFOODS) are consistently included. Prior to 2001, the screening procedures used to determine which households were included in the question universe varied. Researchers may want to account for this when including earlier years.

Beginning in 2022, the community food and nutrition assistance section of the Food Security Supplement survey was modified. These changes included new variables about the receipt of free groceries and free meals, no longer asking about the receipt of free meals by older adults separately, and revisions to the phrasing of current questions, including the question for FSEMRGFD. As a result, the USDA ERA recommends that users do not compare estimates from 2022 with estimates from previous years for this variable. See the Food Security Supplement sample notes for information about additional changes made in 2022.

Universe

Flags

Unharmonized Variables