According to reports from Inside Retail Asia, the Trump administration has cancelled a long-running USDA survey that tracked food insecurity across the United States. The decision raises concerns about the government's ability to measure whether proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) increase hunger.
The survey, known as the Household Food Security Survey, has been conducted annually for decades and provided critical data on the prevalence and severity of food insecurity. Without it, policymakers and researchers would lose a key tool to evaluate the real-world effects of changes to federal food assistance programs.
Advocates warn that eliminating the survey could obscure the consequences of SNAP reductions, making it difficult to identify vulnerable populations and target aid effectively. The move has sparked debate over the role of data in shaping food policy during a time of rising inflation and economic uncertainty.