Published October 6, 2025
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently said it will stop producing its Household Food Security report after it releases the final one on Oct. 22. This will be a major setback to the fight to ensure that all have access to the food they need to thrive. For decades, this report has provided critical insight into who in America struggles to put food on the table. Without it, the millions of families struggling to put food on the table become invisible, and the problem becomes harder to fix.
Back in the 1980s, FRAC created the first comprehensive study of childhood hunger, called the Community Childhood Hunger Identification Project (CCHIP). That work inspired USDA and the Census Bureau to include food security questions in national surveys. Since 1997, the Household Food Security report has been released every year, becoming the gold standard for understanding the struggle that millions of families face to put food on the table.
The latest report showed 47.4 million people, including 13.8 million children, faced food insecurity in 2023. That is one in seven households. These are families with children, older adults, veterans, and people with disabilities doing their best to get by.
The food security data helps inform the role of the federal nutrition programs, which help to ensure that tens of millions of people of all ages can access a healthy diet with dignity. These programs include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, school breakfast and lunch, afterschool and summer meals, and Summer EBT.
The data also show where gaps exist. Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, for example, are often undercounted. Without this information, policymakers cannot know who needs help or where to invest resources.
This report is not just numbers, it is a roadmap for action. It shows what works, who is being left out, and where more support is needed. Eliminating the data means flying blind at a time when families are increasingly living on the edge.
Without the Household Food Security report, we will no longer have the federal benchmark that shows how policy changes are impacting food security across the country. The most recent cuts to SNAP, for instance, will undoubtedly deepen food insecurity, but without annual data, it will be far easier for that reality to be ignored or dismissed. Meanwhile, millions of people will be left behind and forced to make impossible choices between food, rent, and medication. Yet policymakers can claim there’s no evidence of harm—because the evidence won’t exist.
Hiding the data will not solve the problem. Seeing it clearly and acting on it is what will.
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Be part of the solution: Use the FRAC Action Network to send a message directly to your Members of Congress and urge them to reach out to USDA and demand it reinstate the ERS Household Food Security report.