Here's an message from the folks at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) about today's announcement

USDA's Decision to End 30-Year Food Security Report Will Hide the Struggle of Millions of Families to Put Food on the Table
Statement attributable to Crystal FitzSimons, president, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
WASHINGTON, September 22, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to terminate future Economic Research Service (ERS) Household Food Security reports is shortsighted and dismisses the need for clarity on the extent of food insecurity for families and struggling communities across the country. This research is pivotal, and without it, we cannot evaluate whether policies are effective or responsive to community needs or document the impact of harmful policy decisions, such as the recent historic cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

Hunger has devastating effects on health, educational outcomes, and the strength of our workforce. The most recent ERS food security data revealed that one in seven households — 47.4 million people, including 13.8 million children — were food insecure. Ending data collection will not end hunger, it will only make it a hidden crisis that is easier to ignore and more difficult to address.  

For more than three decades, this report has been the gold standard for measuring whether a household lacks consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. This report was inspired by FRAC’s work in the 1980s, which led to the development and release of the most comprehensive study of childhood hunger called the Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project (CCHIP). That research laid the foundation for USDA and U.S. Census Bureau food security reporting and helped launch advocacy efforts to improve and expand federal nutrition programs.  

Every year, the food security survey informs critical policy decisions that keep children fed through the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program, afterschool, child care and summer meals, and lifts millions out of poverty through programs like SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). These programs are critical to ensuring tens of millions of people, including children, working families, veterans, and older adults, get the nutrition they need. 

Eliminating data collection strips away the evidence that proves these programs work, where investment is needed, and who is being left out. For example, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities remain undercounted because the research hasn’t gone far enough. 

Without data, we lose the opportunity to measure meaningful progress, track the need, and ensure policymakers have the insight they need to make decisions to keep our country and its citizens healthy and strong. We urge USDA to reconsider and continue the annual food security survey.  
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The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.

 About Us
The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) improves the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions. To learn more, visit FRAC.org and follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram,  Threads, and Bluesky.
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United States

Poetry X Hunger is a proud partner on this good Growerty Project at Uganda's Presbyterian Junior School in Uganda. The project is overseen by SCINE-Sustainable Community Initiative for Empowerment and Seed Programs International. Watch three students perform their poetry together.  Yes!
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