TULSA, Okla. — Hunger Free Oklahoma is sounding the alarm about the USDA cutting its Household Food Security Report.
“The report itself is crucial,” said Chris Bernard, CEO of Hunger Free Oklahoma. “It’s the gold standard of what food insecurity looks like in the nation as a whole.”
Chris Bernard says hunger is a real issue in our state.
1 in 4 Oklahoma children are food insecure.
1 in 6 Oklahoma households lack reliable access to food.
The Household Food Security report provides those numbers, and that’s why Bernard says it's vital.
“The only way you can solve a problem is by identifying it, identifying how bad it is, and where it exists,” said Bernard.
The USDA says it cut the report because it’s redundant, costly, and politicized.
Bernard says the decision reduces transparency and accountability.
“They just made the most historic changes and cuts to SNAP that we’ve ever seen in the history of our nation and now they’re saying they’re going to cut the study that would be able to tell us what the impact of those cuts are,” said Bernard.
Bernard says down the road, the lack of a trusted, unbiased report could cause more cuts, impacting communities that rely on federal nutrition benefits.
“Without information without evidence, there is going to be an excuse for anyone who desires to do so to deny food insecurity is a problem and continue to cut,” said Bernard.
With more than 400,000 kids who rely on free and reduced lunch across Oklahoma and 600,000 Oklahomans who rely on SNAP monthly, Bernard is asking the USDA to reconsider cutting the report or asking Congress to force the agency to do it.
“If you live in a community that has way more folks that are struggling on the edges than you realize and all of these programs start to get cut, you are going to see that impact in your community,” said Bernard.
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