The Nutrition Policy Institute commented on Apr. 16 about the United States Department of Agriculture’s decision in September 2025 to terminate the Food Security Supplement to the United States Census Current Population Survey, also known as the Household Food Security Survey Module. The survey has been a key federal dataset for understanding food insecurity and evaluating nutrition policy across the country.
The loss of this consistent, high-quality data raises concerns among hunger researchers and advocates who rely on it to track trends in food insecurity and assess federal nutrition programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, National School Lunch Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. According to the Nutrition Policy Institute’s comment submitted in response to a recent USDA request for information on statistical data needs, “NPI’s comment highlights the importance of food security data in NPI’s research, as well as the importance of other USDA data products to support our mission to translate policy-relevant nutrition research to support healthier children, families and communities.”
Under USDA oversight, agencies like Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service, and Office of the Chief Economist are responsible for producing statistical reports that inform evidence-based policy decisions. The full comment from NPI is available through Regulations.gov.
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The broader implications include challenges for researchers who depend on national datasets like those provided by USDA agencies. Looking ahead, stakeholders will monitor how future changes in federal data collection might affect efforts related to child health and community nutrition.