In 2019, 35.7 million people relied on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to eat, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, but enrollment had been steadily declining since 2013. That trend went out the window when the pandemic reversed the tide and swelled the rolls of America’s largest food-security program to 41.5 million in 2021.

In 2022, applications are up again, but this time around, inflation and rising prices are to blame.