Almost 700,000 American children went hungry during 2007, according to an annual government survey released Monday.

This staggering number is up 50 percent from the previous year and is at its highest point since 1998.

The survey, conducted by the Agriculture Department, also determined that more than 36 million adults and children struggled with hunger last year. These are individuals who didn't have enough money or food aid to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Nearly a third of these people are categorized under what the government calls 'very low food security," meaning they had a severe disruption on the amount of food they normally eat.

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