NEW YORK, NY October 22, 2009 —The number of New York City food stamp recipients has increased by almost 30 percent since January of last year to 1.6 million. That's an all time high according to the City's Independent Budget Office (the previous record was 1.46 million people in April 1995).

IBO analyst Paul Lapato says city officials should have mixed emotions about this. "You get a sense that they're probably helping to meet a need. The disturbing part is that it probably means that the need is growing," Lapato said.

From January 2008 to this August, food stamp enrollment increased by 354,000 people. The budget office attributes the growth to city and state attempts to get assistance for more eligible people. You can read the full report here.