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More than 2 million adults across Massachusetts, representing over one-third of households, are unable to afford enough food or are uncertain where their next meal will come from, according to a study released Tuesday.
The report paints a dire picture of the persistent problem a significant portion of the state faces — affording basic nutritional essentials. And it comes as state officials warn that Republican lawmakers’ proposed cuts to federal assistance programs could throw further families’ food supply into uncertainty.
The report released by the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham is “a wake-up call for coordinated action across every sector,” Food Bank President and CEO Catherine D’Amato said at a press conference in Revere announcing the report.
“Doing nothing is not an option,” she said. “Hunger is a solvable problem, yet it requires all of us.”
Catherine D’Amato, president and CEO of the Greater Boston Food Bank, listens at an event in Revere announcing a new study on hunger in Massachusetts conducted by the food bank and Mass General Brigham on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.(Will Katcher/MassLive)
The rate of state residents who are food insecure rose sharply during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and has ticked up ever since, according to the study, now in its fifth year.
In a survey of 3,000 Massachusetts adults between November and March, 37% reported being food insecure in the past year, meaning they lacked the financial resources to afford sufficient food.
In 2019, the last full year before the pandemic, 19% of Massachusetts households were food insecure. A year later, that number rose to 30%. It had crept higher, to 34% last year, before rising to 37% this year.
More than 650,000 households, nearly a quarter of those in the state, were also determined to have very low food security, meaning a person in their household had skipped meals for lack of money.
Food insecurity rates rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and have ticked upward since, according to a new study on the state of hunger in Massachusetts.Greater Boston Food Bank-Mass General Brigham food insecurity study
Representing the most severe form of food insecurity, the rate of Massachusetts households falling into that category has quadrupled since the pandemic began five years ago, the study showed.
A third of Massachusetts children are food insecure, though the number has fallen slightly over the last two years, the report showed.
Still, the most severe cases of child food insecurity are back on the rise. After dipping in 2023 from 14% to 11%, the rate of childhood food insecurity rose to 15% last year.
Behind the report are millions of Massachusetts adults and children struggling to put food on the table, or uncertain where their meals each day may come from.
Among them is Jacqueline Martinez, 54, and the 16-year-old granddaughter she raises in Revere. She said the rising cost of food and other expenses make it ever more difficult to afford the nutritious meals, with fresh produce and protein, that her parents cooked when she was growing up.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Martinez told MassLive on Tuesday.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley recalled recognizing growing up that her own mother was holding back on meals so her daughter had enough to eat, she said Tuesday at the press conference in Revere.
Food insecurity lingers everywhere, hiding in plain sight, she said.
“There is no profile” for hunger, Pressley said. “It can be anybody.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, speaks at an event in Revere announcing a new study on hunger in Massachusetts conducted by the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.(Will Katcher/MassLive)
The lasting effects of the pandemic likely play a significant role in the hunger crisis, the study indicated. Rising food and housing costs that further strain food budgets also contribute, as does the rollback of social programs that expanded during the pandemic, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.
Food banks warn they won’t be able to provide enough help to offset the cuts proposed to SNAP, Medicaid and other programs by Congressional Republicans.
In Revere on Tuesday, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark spoke of women in her district who survive with help from the federal food assistance system. One, a single mother, can afford one meal a day without SNAP. Another single mother runs out of money by the third week of the month, despite working three jobs. SNAP benefits help her make it to the next month, Clark said.
“Hunger is a great injustice of our time,” she said. “It is not abstract or something that we can’t touch or feel. It is physical and it is immediate.”
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-5th District, speaks at an event in Revere announcing a new study on hunger in Massachusetts conducted by the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.(Will Katcher/MassLive)
More than 60% of Hispanic residents of Massachusetts are food insecure, a rate that has risen from 44% pre-pandemic and remains persistently higher than other demographics.
Food insecurity affected 46% of Black people in Massachusetts last year, the first time since 2020 that the rate had fallen beneath 50%. In 2019, 31% of Black residents were food insecure.
Food insecurity rates are highest among Hispanic and Black residents of Massachusetts, but doubled since 2019 among white and Asian residents, according to a new study on hunger in Massachusetts.Greater Boston Food Bank-Mass General Brigham food insecurity study
Rates of food insecurity also more than doubled among White and Asian people since 2019, rising from about 15% each to 32% last year.
The counties of Western and Central Massachusetts, as well as Bristol County, showed the highest rates of food insecurity in the state. Hampden County led the state, with 54% of residents food insecure.
Food insecurity rates are worst in Western and Central Massachusetts and Bristol County, according to a new study on the state of hunger in Massachusetts.Greater Boston Food Bank-Mass General Brigham food insecurity study
The report also indicated rising rates of poor nutrition among food-insecure households, contributing to a litany of other health issues with cascading costs, such as diabetes and heart disease.
Households struggling to afford enough food face tradeoffs between nutrition and other necessities, struggling to keep pace with heat and electricity bills, rent and debt.
“The consequences of hunger ripple far beyond the dinner table,” Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, director of nutrition at Mass General Brigham for Children, said Tuesday in Revere. “Food insecure households are significantly more likely to experience poor nutrition, chronic illness and gaps in routine medical care.”
Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, director of nutrition at Mass General Brigham for
Children, speaks at an event in Revere announcing a new study on hunger in Massachusetts conducted by the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.(Will Katcher/MassLive)
Respondents to the food bank’s survey indicated they would purchase healthier foods and have more freedom to pay other expenses if food costs weren’t as much of a concern.
Food insecurity “is about having the correct food, not just having food,” one man from Hampden County told the study’s authors. He said he frequently diverts to less expensive, processed foods because of the higher cost of fresh produce, dairy and protein.
“The cost of hunger is staggering and measured not just in dollars, but in health opportunity and human potential,” D’Amato said. “These are not just statistics. These are our neighbors, these are humans, these are people, these are families.”
BOSTON, MA — An international restaurant group with locations across the globe is preparing to open its first Massachusetts restaurant this year.
LPM Restaurant & Bar, a French Riviera-inspired restaurant founded in London, is set to open on the second floor of the Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street in Back Bay, according to Four Seasons. The hotel lists the restaurant as “Opening Summer 2026,” while the Boston Business Journal reported the restaurant plans to open in September.
The Boston restaurant will mark LPM’s debut in the Northeast and its third U.S. outpost, following locations in Miami and Las Vegas, according to a Four Seasons announcement.
LPM, also known as La Petite Maison, was founded in London in 2007 and is known for French-Mediterranean food, Mediterranean ingredients and dining rooms influenced by Belle Époque design.
The business operates locations in London, Dubai, Miami, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Riyadh, Limassol, Doha, Mykonos, Kuwait, Boston, Maldives and Bangkok.
Four Seasons said LPM will take over the space that formerly housed One Dalton’s breakfast concept, One + One. The restaurant will join other dining options at the hotel, including Zuma and Trifecta.
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A Massachusetts high school is under investigation after “several” teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions.
The state Department of Public Health is set to visit Uxbridge High School on Thursday to “conduct a series of air quality tests,” to determine whether the multiple cases are potentially connected.
Superintendent David Ljungberg and Principal Michael Rubin alerted families and district staff on Monday of the “sombering news,” after Uxbridge High School’s graduation over the weekend.
“We are writing to inform you about a concern we are investigating at Uxbridge High School,” Ljungberg and Rubin stated in the letter. “Several female teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions over the past few years.”
“It is, of course, possible that these multiple cases are not connected to one another,” the leaders added, “but out of abundance of caution, we are looking into any environmental factors at the school that may be a factor in their diagnoses.”
The 123,000-square-foot school, with an enrollment of roughly 600, was constructed in 2012 at a cost of $45 million, including a $22-million state reimbursement.
Uxbridge school leaders say they notified the state Department of Health and local health board as soon as they became aware of the cases, seeking “counsel about how best to proceed.”
“Massachusetts DPH officials have indicated that there is no evidence of immediate danger in the building and no reason to limit access to or use of the facility at this time,” they wrote in their letter. “In fact, the public health officials have commended our decision to approach them with these concerns, our readiness to partner with them in support of the evaluation process.”
Health officials are assessing the school’s interior and exterior to “ensure there are no issues with the infrastructure that would present risks (including electrical, plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, and other systems)” and the indoor and outdoor air quality on campus.
The superintendent and principal said that state officials have ruled out water supply as a “risk factor” after “thorough testing.”
“The team has reached out to the women who have been diagnosed, requesting data to evaluate whether there may be a connection among their cases,” Ljungberg and Rubin wrote. “We are grateful for their cooperation.”
They added that the state has said discovering an environmental “smoking gun” is “rare” in workplace investigations.
“However, even if a direct causal link is not established,” the leaders wrote, “the administration is utilizing this process to rigorously test the building and guarantee that it meets all safety standards moving forward.”
Local News
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a measure that would allow cities and towns to temporarily extend bar and restaurant hours during the summer, as the state prepares to host FIFA World Cup matches and celebrations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The legislation (H.5465) filed by state Rep. Carole Fiola, would allow licensed establishments to sell alcohol one hour later than their normal closing time, up to 3 a.m., between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2026. The bill would also allow communities to establish designated public consumption districts where alcohol could be consumed in approved public spaces.
In a press release announcing the bill, Fiola said the summer’s threefold events lineup — the World Cup, Tall Ships, and July 4th — is an economically significant moment that the state should take advantage of.
“We should capitalize on these events that will generate economic benefits for small businesses and the state as a whole. It’s a local opt-in idea worth exploring that’s being done in other states,” Fiola said.
The proposal has received support from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and most recently Gov. Maura Healey, who submitted written testimony Monday to the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies urging lawmakers to advance the measure.
“Massachusetts is planning for a once-in-a-generation summer,” Healey wrote, according to the Boston Globe. “In 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, welcome tall ships from around the world to Boston Harbor for Sail Boston, and host seven FIFA World Cup matches in Foxborough, along with watch parties across the Commonwealth.”
The governor argued that the added flexibility could help local economies benefit from an influx of visitors.
“That flexibility can help communities capture more visitor spending, support jobs, keep downtowns active, and strengthen Massachusetts’ image as a dynamic destination ready to host the world and a place our residents, including our young professionals, are proud to call home,” Healey wrote.
She also urged lawmakers to move the legislation forward, saying it will “help Massachusetts meet the full economic and cultural opportunities for the summer ahead.”
In Rhode Island, a similar bill to allow bars and restaurants to remain open until 4 a.m. during the World Cup was signed into law on Friday.
Fiola’s bill remains before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. Any final version would require approval from both the House and Senate before reaching Healey’s desk.
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