The Food Assurance and Security Act establishes an interagency program to standardize the annual collection, analysis, and public reporting of data regarding food insecurity and hunger in the United States.
Lisa Blunt Rochester
Senator
DE
The Food Assurance and Security Act establishes a formal interagency program to improve the collection, analysis, and reporting of national food insecurity data. By mandating a standardized food security supplement within the Current Population Survey, the bill ensures consistent tracking of hunger across American households. The findings will be published in an annual public report to Congress to better inform policy and address food access challenges.
Food Assurance and Security Act Establishes Mandatory Annual Hunger Tracking Starting in 2026
The Food Assurance and Security Act is setting up a permanent, high-tech magnifying glass to look at exactly how many Americans are struggling to put food on the table. By creating an interagency food security measurement program, the bill tasks the Secretary of Agriculture and the Census Bureau with a specific mission: run an annual deep-dive survey to track hunger across the country. Starting in 2026, the Current Population Survey (the same one that tracks employment) will be required to include a 'food security supplement' that asks households detailed questions about their reality over the past 12 months. This isn't just a vague check-in; it’s a standardized, data-driven approach to ensure the government isn't guessing about the scale of food insecurity.
The Kitchen Table Questionnaire
The bill outlines exactly what the government will be asking, and the questions hit close to home. Under Section 2, the survey will ask adults if they’ve worried about food running out before they had money to buy more, if they’ve skipped meals to save cash, or if they’ve lost weight because they simply couldn't afford to eat. For households with kids, the questions get even more specific, focusing on whether parents are relying on cheap, low-quality food or if children are actually going a whole day without eating. By mandating these specific questions through 2028, the bill ensures that the data collected is consistent and hard to ignore, giving researchers and local officials a clear map of where the most help is needed.
Accountability by the Numbers
This isn't just about collecting data to sit in a drawer; the bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to publish an annual report on the USDA website for everyone to see. This means a small business owner in Ohio or a teacher in California can look up the same data as a member of Congress. By making this information public and requiring it to be sent to Congress, the bill creates a yearly benchmark for how well existing food programs are working. If the numbers show that more families are skipping meals despite other interventions, the data provides a direct, factual basis for adjusting policy or funding.
Future-Proofing the Data
To make sure the survey doesn't become outdated, the bill allows for changes to the questions starting in 2029, but with a catch: any updates must undergo 'robust testing' and public input before being cleared by the Office of Management and Budget. This prevents future administrations from quietly softening the questions to make hunger statistics look better than they are. For the average person, this means the government is committing to a long-term, transparent look at the cost of living and food access, backed by 'whatever sums are necessary' to keep the program running. It turns the private struggle of food insecurity into a public, measurable metric that demands attention every single year.