Limited access to food contributes to hunger and food insecurity in Montana. Half of Montana’s 56 counties include areas considered to be food deserts.

A food desert is a low-income area where at least 500 people and/or 33% of the residents must travel more than ten miles to the nearest supermarket or one mile in urban areas.

Food insecurity in Montana had been following a downward trend since 2011, indicating a slow but positive recovery from the Great Recession. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity was the lowest in Montana since before the start of the Great Recession.

COVID-19 changed everything and contributed to a reversal in much of the progress that had been made, seemingly overnight. And due to the current inflation challenges, this trend is likely to continue.

Using national unemployment and poverty projections, Feeding America estimates that Montana's food insecurity will increase by 29% as a result of the pandemic, with an additional 32,000 Montanans at risk of food insecurity. If these projections are accurate, more than 141,000 Montanans, including nearly 50,000 children, will live in food insecure homes.

With the current economic uncertainty, the development of local access to food has become increasingly important.