AUGUSTA – Figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicate 13.3 percent of Maine households were having difficulty getting adequate food even before the economic slowdown.

The department’s food security report covering the period between 2005 and 2007 indicates there were statistically significant increases in Delaware, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada and West Virginia. The largest increases were observed in Maine and Minnesota.

Recent increases in the number of people receiving food stamps is another indicator that Mainers are having difficulty making ends meet. More than 12,000 Maine people have started to receive Food Supplement Benefits in the last year, an increase of 8 percent.

Sara Gagne-Holmes, executive director of Maine Equal Justice Partners, said many families are having to make a difficult decision, whether to buy heating oil or food.