Suspension of federal funding worsens access to food in the United States

Published at: 03/11/2025 11:39 AM

The closure of the activities of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) left more than 42 million people in the United States without support, including 10 million Latin Americans, after the blockade of funds caused by the government shutdown.

The interruption of this service coincides with the 40% reduction in the budget of the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a measure adopted by the Donald Trump administration in March. This decision has intensified pressure on food distribution systems, in a country where around 400 billion dollars are wasted on food products every year.

According to data from REFED, an organization dedicated to the study of food waste, surpluses worth 382 billion dollars were generated in 2023. The figure corresponds to the last period for which data are available, TELESUR reported.

For its part, the company Too Good reported that 40% of the food produced worldwide ends up in landfills, despite being in adequate conditions for consumption. Its director, Chris MacAulay, compared this figure to the waste of half of what is stored in a refrigerator.

SNAP recipients, who are less likely to waste food, are among those most affected by the suspension of the program. On the contrary, the sectors with the highest waste rates do not suffer the same impact, which highlights a paradox in the distribution of damage caused by the government shutdown and budget cuts.

Mazo News Team