Reminiscent of the great depression, millions of families in Record numbers go hungry in the US.

President Barack Obama, who pledged to eradicate childhood hunger, has described as “unsettling” the agriculture department survey, which says 50 million people in the US – one in six of the population – were unable to afford to buy sufficient food to stay healthy at some point last year, in large part because of escalating unemployment or poorly paid jobs. That is a rise of more than one-third on the year before and the highest number since the survey began in 1995.

The agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, said: “These numbers are a wake-up call … for us to get very serious about food security and hunger, about nutrition and food safety in this country.”

Vilsack said he expected the numbers to worsen when the survey for this year is released in 2010.

A rise of more than one third from a year before is just the beginning. With millions continuing to lose jobs, the dollar losing purchasing power and food costs rising, do not be surprised to see this number continue to rise significantly over the next decade. It is only going to get worse, folks.

The state of affairs for American families is deteriorating rapidly. Imagine for a second what would happen in the event of a hyperinflation scenario. Not only will Americans not be able to afford food, there may be disruptions in the food supply itself.

Buying commodities now may be a great investment. And we’re not talking about on the commodities exchanges. Consider adding the real thing, like rice, flour, beans, canned goods and other foodstuffs to your investment portfolio.