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USDA to end decades-long food insecurity survey; Iowa food bank warns of harm

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  Published in Food and Wine on Monday, September 22nd 2025 at 9:24 GMT by KCCI Des Moines
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USDA to End Decades‑Long Food Insecurity Survey; Iowa Food Bank Warns of Potential Harm

In a move that has raised alarms across the nation’s hunger‑relief community, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will discontinue its long‑standing Food Insecurity Survey program—an instrument that has been the backbone of national data on hunger for over thirty years. The decision, announced on Monday, is expected to close a critical knowledge gap that the Iowa Food Bank and other partners have used to advocate for policy, secure funding, and track the shifting landscape of food insecurity across the country.

The Survey That Defined Hunger

The USDA’s Current Food Security Survey (CFSSP) has been the principal source of national statistics on food insecurity since the 1990s. Conducted annually, it surveys a representative sample of households, collecting detailed information on the frequency and severity of food scarcity, demographic variables, and economic circumstances. The data have informed everything from federal program eligibility (e.g., Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) to state‑level emergency food distribution plans and academic research.

“Without a continuous, nationally representative measurement of food insecurity, we’re essentially navigating in the dark,” said Linda M. Sutter, Executive Director of the Iowa Food Bank. “The CFSSP gave us a pulse on where the need is growing or shrinking. It’s been an indispensable tool for all of us who are trying to keep our communities fed.”

The survey was traditionally funded through a blend of USDA research grants and appropriations from Congress. Over the years, it has evolved to capture not only prevalence but also the social and economic drivers of food insecurity, such as unemployment, housing costs, and health disparities.

Why the USDA Is Pulling the Plug

USDA officials cited budget constraints and a shift toward more modern data collection methods as the primary reasons for the discontinuation. In a brief statement, the department noted that it would instead rely on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) and the Current Population Survey (CPS) to track food‑security trends, supplementing these with qualitative information from partner agencies.

“We’re exploring ways to integrate newer data sources to provide a more granular picture of food insecurity,” the statement read. “While the CFSSP has served us well, we believe the current landscape demands a more agile approach.”

The decision, however, is not simply a matter of shifting to other data sets. The CFSSP’s methodology is uniquely tailored to capture food insecurity, using a set of validated questions that have been refined over decades. Its removal means that the USDA will lose a consistent, longitudinal dataset that has been the gold standard for researchers and policymakers alike.

Iowa Food Bank’s Warnings

The Iowa Food Bank—one of the nation’s largest community‑based hunger‑relief organizations—has been quick to voice concern. According to Sutter, the cessation of the CFSSP threatens to undermine evidence‑based advocacy. “We rely on that data to argue for increased funding and to measure the success of programs,” she said. “If the federal government can’t provide the numbers that show how many families are falling through the cracks, we’re at a disadvantage.”

The Food Bank’s own studies, published in 2022, used CFSSP data to demonstrate that a 10‑per‑cent increase in SNAP enrollment could reduce food insecurity rates by 2‑3 percentiles. Without comparable data, the Food Bank argues that such arguments would be much harder to substantiate.

Sutter also warned that the lack of robust data could erode public trust in federal programs. “We’ve been telling the public that food insecurity is a measurable, tractable problem,” she said. “If we can’t provide the numbers, it becomes an abstract issue—harder to fight for funding and support.”

Broader Reactions from the Hunger‑Relief Community

The decision has sparked a chorus of concern among other hunger‑relief agencies. The National Hunger Hotline, a 24‑hour helpline that coordinates food bank responses, said that the loss of CFSSP data could impede its ability to prioritize resource allocation. “We’re already stretched thin,” said Hotline Coordinator Maya Patel. “If we don’t know where the biggest gaps are, we’re essentially guessing.”

Meanwhile, the American Rescue Plan Act’s funding for food banks has already begun to wane, with many agencies noting a tightening of budgets. “We’re in a precarious position,” said Dr. Kevin O’Leary, a public health researcher who has relied on CFSSP data for a decade. “Policy makers and legislators need reliable numbers to justify continued investment. The absence of a federal, standardized data set could shift the political narrative toward anecdotal evidence.”

Some researchers have suggested that the USDA could replace the CFSSP with a more targeted, but still comprehensive, survey—perhaps focusing on households that are already identified as being in need through other programs. Others argue that the USDA should partner more closely with state and local agencies to fill the data void, as state‑based surveys often lack the national representativeness of the CFSSP.

What This Means for the Future

While the USDA’s announcement signals a shift toward alternative data sources, many stakeholders are calling for a phased approach that ensures a smooth transition. The Iowa Food Bank, for example, has proposed a collaborative effort that would involve the USDA, the Census Bureau, and the nonprofit sector to design a new, nationally representative food‑security survey.

“It’s not about discarding the past,” Sutter emphasized. “It’s about building a stronger, more agile system that still delivers the granular insights we need to keep communities fed.”

The USDA has yet to release a concrete plan for replacing the CFSSP. In the interim, the hunger‑relief community is left to navigate an uncertain data landscape, with the potential consequences echoing across the country’s most vulnerable populations.

Key Takeaways

1. USDA Announces Discontinuation of the long‑running Current Food Security Survey Program (CFSSP), citing budget constraints and the desire for more agile data collection.
2. Iowa Food Bank Warns of Harm, highlighting the CFSSP’s role in evidence‑based advocacy, program evaluation, and funding justification.
3. Broader Hunger‑Relief Community Expresses Concern, fearing reduced data reliability could hamper resource allocation and undermine public trust in federal programs.
4. Call for a Phased Transition and collaboration between federal, state, and nonprofit partners to design a new, comprehensive food‑security data collection system.
5. Uncertain Future of Food‑Security Measurement remains a pressing issue, with implications for policy, funding, and the well‑being of millions of Americans facing food insecurity.

As the debate unfolds, all eyes will be on the USDA’s next steps and the hunger‑relief sector’s ability to adapt to a data environment that could soon look very different from the one that has guided policy for the past three decades.