“Canceling this critical report is a slap in the face to the nearly 50 million Americans struggling to get food on their tables.”
September 22 — Over the weekend, the USDA confirmed it is canceling the annual national hunger survey that has provided data and analysis on the current state of food insecurity in the U.S. for decades.
Jenique Jones, Executive Director of WhyHunger – a nonprofit working to end world hunger and the injustices that cause it – issued the following statement:
“It is deeply troubling that the Administration has chosen to discontinue collecting data on the state of hunger in America, canceling the annual USDA food insecurity survey and report. Hiding the numbers does not change the reality: as the wealthiest among us enjoy unprecedented prosperity, a growing number of Americans are being left even further behind. More and more people are struggling to put food on the table—working long hours, paying rising rents, covering medical bills. With recent federal policy changes and increased need already being reported locally, all signs point to the fact that the 2025 data would have shown significantly rising rates of food insecurity.
Transparent, accurate data is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. Without it, we cannot track the scale of suffering, we cannot measure the effectiveness of aid programs, and we cannot hold decision-makers accountable. We need data to push beyond just short-term relief and strive for the systematic change needed to end the solvable problem of hunger in the U.S. Canceling this critical report is a slap in the face to the nearly 50 million Americans struggling to get food on their tables and the decades of work that countless volunteers, elected officials, religious organizations, and nonprofit leaders have spent to try and ensure everyone’s basic human right to nutritious food is met.
For 50 years WhyHunger has been committed to truth, to facing hard facts, and to supporting policies that ensure no one is invisible in our nation. We believe in creating pathways for communities to control their access to food, to define their solutions, and to build sustainable systems rooted in fairness and dignity. We remain steadfast in our mission and emboldened by this blatant attempt to obscure the truth. The lives behind these statistics matter—and withholding the numbers only makes the work harder for all of us.”
About WhyHunger
Founded in 1975 by the late Harry Chapin and radio DJ Bill Ayres, WhyHunger funds and supports community solutions to protect the human right to food. In nearly five decades of innovation and evolution, our programs and our grassroots partners in 24 countries have expanded agricultural practices that are better for the planet, helped communities address the root causes of hunger, and ensured access to nutritious food for millions of people. As a grassroots support organization, we stand behind the leadership of the people most impacted by hunger and injustice. We prioritize providing resources to support the rights of communities who have been historically excluded from defining and controlling their food systems. We advocate for workers’ rights and champion agroecological food production that unites science and sustainability with Indigenous knowledge and wisdom. Together we can build socially and economically just food systems that nourish all people and the environment. Learn more at whyhunger.org and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and TikTok .
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