NEW YORK, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Higher grocery prices have hurt U.S. consumers, but many Americans are also struggling to fill their shopping baskets with weekly staples like milk, eggs and packaged foods as pandemic-triggered labor shortages and other supply chain problems prevent stores from restocking quickly and efficiently, CNN reported last week.

       That's at the grocery store level. For food pantries and food banks, "the problem becomes even more consequential because they rely heavily on subsidized bulk food purchases and food donations from stores and other providers to build adequate supply to meet the needs of the community," said the report.

       Feeding America, which operates 200 food banks across the country, estimates that as many as 42 million Americans (1 in 8), including 13 million children (1 in 6), may have experienced food insecurity in 2021, according to the report.

       That compares to 35 million people, including 11 million children in 2019 when the overall food insecurity rate was the lowest in more than 20 years, the non-profit was cited.

       There's a risk that as food becomes more expensive and harder to stock up, hunger in America will worsen and will disproportionately impact low-income families more because of inequities in the system, Nancy Roman, president and CEO of the Partnership for a Healthier America, was quoted as saying.