The pandemic highlighted an issue that has been problem for many Americans long before COVID-19 — hunger, according to a recent report by Feeding America.

“Hunger is the physical sensation of not having enough food,” said Cassidie Carmen Bates, government and public affairs manager of Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano in California.

Bates told Fox News Digital on Friday that food insecurity means a lack of access to four essential ingredients: 1) affordable food; 2) nutritious food; 3) accessible food ; and 4) sufficient food.

It is the lack of available financial resources for food at the household level.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2019, the national overall food insecurity rate was 10.9%, which was the lowest in 20 years, according to the report.

The rate slightly increased the following year in 2020 to 11.8%.

That translates to an estimated 38.3 million individuals living in a household that is defined as food insecure.