Nov. 16, 2010 (BBC News) -- Almost 15 percent of US households experienced a food shortage at some point in 2009, a government report has found.
US authorities say that figure is the highest they have seen since they began collecting data in the 1990s, and a slight increase over 2008 levels.
Single mothers are among the hardest hit: About 3.5 million said they were at times unable to put sufficient food on the table.
Hispanics and African Americans also suffer disproportionately.
