Tulsa, OK: Hunger Free Oklahoma and our 400+ partners across the state witness the reality of food insecurity every day. Food insecurity is not a theoretical issue; it is a lived experience for millions of Americans. The decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to end the annual Household Food Security Reports is deeply troubling and undermines decades of progress in understanding and addressing hunger in our communities.
“Ignoring hunger won’t make it disappear. Ending these surveys won’t feed a child, help a parent stretch their paycheck, or make it easier for seniors to afford both food and medicine. Food insecurity will remain a daily reality for millions of Americans. By eliminating the collection of this data, just after sweeping changes to SNAP, USDA is making it easier to deny the problem exists and harder to hold leaders accountable. This decision is wrong and will only cause more harm,” said Chris Bernard, President & CEO of Hunger Free Oklahoma.
Food insecurity measurement began in response to the passage of the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990. This bill passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush, Sr. Since 1995, these reports have served as the federal government’s primary tool for measuring food insecurity across the country. Developed through bipartisan collaboration and rigorous research, the data has informed everything from local food bank operations to national policy decisions. It has helped identify vulnerable populations, track the impact of economic shifts, and guide the allocation of resources through programs like SNAP, WIC, and school meals.
Suspending food insecurity reporting does not make hunger disappear. USDA’s claim that the reports are redundant and politicized ignores the fact that food insecurity has risen in recent years, especially among households with children. The most recent report, released in 2024, showed a nearly 4% increase in food-insecure households between 2021 and 2023.
Discontinuing this vital data collection sends a dangerous message: Tracking and battling hunger is no longer a priority for the United States government. Hunger is real, and it must be measured if we are to solve it.
We call on USDA leadership and elected officials to reverse this decision and recommit to transparency, accountability, and the basic dignity of every person who struggles to put food on the table.
Hunger Free Oklahoma is an anti-hunger organization dedicated to improving food access for all Oklahoma. HFO leverages the power of collaboration to solve hunger in Oklahoma by improving systems, policies, and practices. Learn more at HungerFreeOK. org.
