Whatcom Food Network

HB 2238 is due for another hearing tomorrow Friday 2/27 at 2:30pm. Please take 1 minute to help this bill by signing in PRO here: https://app.leg.wa.gov/csi/Testifier/Add?chamber=Senate&mId=34010&aId=171347&caId=28536&tId=3

HB 2238 calls for the development of a strategy for statewide food security in order to end hunger, reduce diet-related health disparities, and increase agricultural viability and supply chain resilience. This would be led by the WSDA.

Why is this needed? Getting geographically relevant, and timely data on our regional food system has been a consistent challenge. We need good data to make informed policy decisions, and this would fill a gap. Additionally, this framework calls for an interconnected lens of analysis in public health, hunger, and ag viability, and identifying strategies that support all three. Because of the interconnected nature of the food chain, this systemic approach is sorely needed, but previously lacking.

Much of our local food system plan implementation is dependent on regional collaboration. Tying locally-driven efforts into state-wide strategies will created a higher chance of success, as well increase our ability to measure the success of previous efforts.

Thank you for taking 1 minute to support this legislation!

To address food security, we need good data. And federal policies and funding priorities are making an already difficult process even harder:

Key points:

-The USDA has decided to end its long-running Household Food Security report, which for three decades provided the nation’s most comprehensive data on food access and hunger in the U.S.

-The final 2024 report shows food insecurity rising slightly, with 13.7% of U.S. households — about 47 million people — experiencing hunger, and families with children disproportionately affected.

-Experts warn that discontinuing the report will leave policymakers without critical data to guide programs like SNAP and WIC, though some members of Congress are working to reinstate it.

The Final USDA Household Food Security Report Shows Hunger Rising Across America In December 2025, the USDA released what is likely its final Household Food Security report, calling the 30-year survey “redundant” and “costly.” The report — long the federal government’s clearest measure of whether Americans could afford enough food — found 13.7% of households, about...