In September 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture canceled the annual collection of the Food Security Supplement (FSS) of the Current Population Survey (CPS).

We believe that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) should continue to collect and report on the CPS-FSS. However, to fill the current data gap and improve state-level estimates, we encourage states to add the USDA six-item food security module to their Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey.

The BRFSS [Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System], an established annual telephone survey, collects information on health-related behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services for more than 400,000 adults ages 18 and older in all 50 states, 3 U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. The results of the BRFSS are representative of the U.S. noninstitutionalized population residing in households with landline or cellular telephones and are also representative across geographic and demographic groups.

The BRFSS comprises a required core set of questions. Individual states can also choose to include optional modules with questions designed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or other federal partners on specific health topics and state-added questions tailored to their state and local data needs. The CDC funds the core survey, and it or its federal partners fund the optional modules. State health departments and local stakeholders pay for state-added questions only, making the collection of state-level food security data affordable.

States can opt to include the six-item food security module in the state-added question section at relatively low cost. By piggybacking on this already established, high-quality survey, states can secure the important data necessary to guide policy and resource choices related to food security.

Read more at the link above.