Statement attributed to Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO, Feeding America
Hunger affects people in every community across America, from rural towns to large cities. Its impact is felt by children, seniors and families whose experiences and insights are invaluable guides to solutions we can create together.
USDA’s Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement has never been a perfect resource, but it has been a valuable one that helped us all to track trends over time, highlight the experiences of households and children, and understand how programs and support can influence families’ stability and self-sufficiency. The reports on this survey revealed key patterns in the past: Food insecurity declined from 2011 to 2019, rose in the first half of 2020 due to the onslaught of the pandemic, and then fell significantly in 2021 with the increase in focus and resources that followed.
These insights helped inform investments that strengthened solutions and contributed to historic lows in food insecurity for millions of people across the country. They helped us to see that food insecurity touches every county in every state and that the deepest challenges are often in rural counties. They also helped shine a light on how many people were reeling in the face of staggering inflation by 2022.
And, alongside other research, the survey highlights how investments can change outcomes. For example, the temporarily expanded child tax credit cut childhood poverty rates nearly in half. The survey also underscored the importance of programs that resulted in the greatest volume of food and the most nutrient-dense foods the Feeding America network has ever been positioned to provide—food produced by farmers, growers, producers and ranchers across America beginning in the second half of 2020. These investments helped reduce rates of food insecurity, supported improved health and significantly reduced financial burdens in communities across the nation that turned to us in search of partnership and support.
Feeding America is far from alone in recognizing the value of high-quality, actionable data. Losing access to the informative insights the annual USDA report provided will create gaps. We are taking steps to help fill them. We are exploring innovative ways to measure food access, supporting Feeding America network members to collect local data and partnering with researchers. For example, we are working with food banks in Arkansas on a groundbreaking statewide study of food needs and working with food banks in California’s Bay Area to refine local food insecurity estimates, ensuring the data reflects community realities. While neither the USDA report nor any single report that is created will be perfect, these efforts help ensure the information we collect and act on is as accurate and useful as possible.
As USDA’s report sunsets, there is a risk of losing consistent national benchmarks that have helped guide solutions. Feeding America is committed to working alongside partners to ensure we continue building on that foundation.
We see this, and so many moments, as opportunities to come together. We invite community members, government leaders and other partners across every sector to join us in finding new ways to understand and track progress toward improving food access. Together, we can ensure the voices of people facing hunger guide the path forward, bringing us closer to ending hunger for good.
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About Feeding America
Feeding America is committed to an America where no one is hungry. We support tens of millions of people who experience food insecurity to get the food and resources they say they need to thrive as part of a nationwide network of food banks, statewide food bank associations, food pantries and meal programs. We also invest in innovative solutions to increase equitable access to nutritious food, advocate for legislation that improves food security and work to address factors that impact food security, such as health, cost of living and employment. We partner with people experiencing food insecurity, policymakers, organizations, and supporters, united with them in a movement to end hunger. Visit FeedingAmerica.org to learn more.