Study finds 4 in 10 Puerto Rico adults face some degree of food insecurity
A report released by Espacios Abiertos, Fundación Triple-S and Nutriendo Puerto Rico puts the figure at 40.8%, and its authors say it should not be compared directly with a 2015 estimate of 33.2%.
The short version
- The 2026 report puts food insecurity at 40.8% of adults: 30.5% low and 10.3% very low
- El Nuevo Día reports the highest rates among ages 25 to 34 (48.2%) and 18 to 24 (47.4%)
- Sin Comillas reports 91.7% of those with difficulty cited the cost of nutritious food
- Authors warn against comparing the result directly with the 33.2% estimated from 2015 data
The findings
Four in ten adults in Puerto Rico have some degree of food insecurity, according to the Informe de Seguridad Alimentaria en Puerto Rico 2026, released by Espacios Abiertos, Fundación Triple-S and Nutriendo Puerto Rico. NotiCel and Sin Comillas reported that the study found 40.8% of adults affected, made up of 30.5% in the low food-security category and 10.3% in the very low category.
Sin Comillas reported further figures from the study: 51.9% of adults surveyed reported some difficulty regularly obtaining and eating nutritious food; among them, 91.7% named the high cost of nutritious food as a barrier. It reported that 46.7% said food at home did not last and there was no money to buy more during the past 12 months, 43.4% said they could not eat balanced meals for lack of money, 19.7% had to cut the amount they ate or skip meals, and 4.5% reported going a full day without eating for lack of money. Of those who cut or skipped meals, 73.6% faced that for more than two months of the year, Sin Comillas reported.
What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
La evidencia debe ayudarnos no solo a describir el problema, sino a comprender mejor sus diferencias entre poblaciones y territorios…
Our translation: The evidence should help us not only describe the problem but better understand how it differs between populations and places.
The source's own statement, as quoted by NotiCel. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
Who is most affected
El Nuevo Día reported that the highest prevalence is among younger adults: 48.2% of those aged 25 to 34 and 47.4% of those aged 18 to 24, against 40.1% among adults 65 and older. It quoted Angélica Marrero Sánchez, deputy research director at Espacios Abiertos, saying younger people tend to have more limited incomes and that three in four unemployed people are food insecure, while the rate still exceeds 36% among people who work and earn a wage.
By the health regions used by the Department of Health, El Nuevo Día reported the highest prevalence in Ponce at 67.1%, followed by Fajardo at 45.3%, the metropolitan area at 42.7% and Bayamón at 40%. The paper said the study was presented on Wednesday at the Hecho en Puerto Rico venue in Plaza Las Américas.
What the authors say the number is not
NotiCel reported that a study by the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, based on data collected in 2015, estimated that 33.2% of adults were food insecure, and that Espacios Abiertos executive director Ataveyra Medina warned against a direct statistical comparison, citing differences in how the data were collected and in the design of the two studies. Medina said the 2026 results are a new reference point for the current scale of the problem, NotiCel reported.
Sin Comillas reported that the study recommends strengthening local food production and distribution, modernizing the Nutrition Assistance Program (PAN) and information systems so emergency response improves, and improving access to healthy food.
Where the sources differ
The outlets agree on the headline figure of 40.8% and on the two categories that make it up. NotiCel and Sin Comillas credit the report to three organizations, Espacios Abiertos, Fundación Triple-S and Nutriendo Puerto Rico, while El Nuevo Día describes it as developed by Nutriendo Puerto Rico and Espacios Abiertos. Beyond that, and El Nuevo Día's age and region breakdowns and Sin Comillas's cost and coping figures come from the same report. They emphasize different cuts of it: El Nuevo Día leads with the concentration among young adults and the Ponce region, while Sin Comillas leads with the cost of nutritious food. No outlet disputes another's numbers.
What the reports do not say
None of the reports gives the survey's sample size, its margin of error, or the dates the interviews were conducted. None says who funded the fieldwork beyond naming the three organizations that released it, and none carries a response from the Department of Health, the Department of the Family or the Nutrition Assistance Program. The authors' warning against comparing 2026 with 2015 means the reports do not establish whether food insecurity rose.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was written. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Reporting Cuatro de cada 10 adultos en Puerto Rico enfrentan inseguridad alimentaria, revela nuevo estudio
- Reporting Cuatro de cada 10 personas enfrentan inseguridad alimentaria
- Reporting Casi la mitad de los jóvenes en Puerto Rico enfrenta inseguridad alimentaria, según estudio de Espacios Abiertos
- Reporting Cuatro de cada diez adultos en Puerto Rico enfrentan inseguridad alimentaria, revela nuevo estudio
How we checked this
The report was covered by NotiCel, Sin Comillas, El Nuevo Día and Medicina y Salud Pública, all drawing on the study and on its authors. News is my Business also published a story on the findings, but its site blocked our attempt to read it, so it is not cited here.
This article was written by The PuertoRico.com Newsroom with AI tools, from the reports and statements listed above. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Tell us through the About page.