More families are going hungry now than when COVID-19 shut down the economy, according to a new survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York — and the numbers are moving in the wrong direction.
The Fed’s New York branch released the findings Tuesday, May 27, flagging food insecurity rates that have climbed past the levels recorded during the coronavirus pandemic. The survey didn’t pin the blame on any single cause, but the data lands at a moment when grocery prices remain stubbornly elevated and federal food assistance programs have faced repeated budget pressure.
Not a blip. The Fed survey suggests this is a sustained trend, not a short-term spike tied to a weather event or a regional supply crunch.
During the pandemic, food banks across the country reported record demand as job losses cascaded through the economy in 2020. Government relief programs — expanded SNAP benefits, stimulus payments, enhanced unemployment — helped cushion the blow for many households. Those programs have since wound down or been trimmed, and the new Federal Reserve Bank of New York data suggests the safety net that replaced them isn’t holding as well.
The survey was released without a detailed breakdown by state, so it isn’t immediately clear how Missouri compares to the national picture. Missouri has its own network of regional food banks, including organizations that track local demand independently of federal surveys; whether their numbers mirror the Fed’s findings hasn’t been confirmed.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York did not release the full methodology or sample size in the initial report, and it’s unclear when the complete survey data will be made public.
Reporting by NPR, published May 27, 2026. Read the original report.
