US multi-stakeholder policy council launches to address global food insecurity

A new policy body, the Food Security Leadership Council, has been established to develop a long-term strategy for US leadership in global food security. The development comes amid projections that the Trump administration’s budget bill will squeeze some people out of key food assistance programs.

The initiative, which will be led by Dr. Cary Fowler, former US Special Envoy for Global Food Security and recipient of the 2024 World Food Prize, brings together over 25 bipartisan leaders from government, science, agriculture, development, and industry to combat global hunger.

“As global crises compound, it will become harder and harder for the world to feed itself — we need to chart a new path. The Council’s goals are to formulate an actionable blueprint for strategic US leadership in global food security, to shed light on the impact of US public policies on global food security, and to build and energize the next generation of food security policymakers,” says Fowler.

The group includes former US officials, Nobel laureates, development economists, academic leaders, and private sector figures.

“Tackling global food insecurity demands the same bold vision and long-term commitment that has driven our greatest scientific achievements,” says Dr. John Mather, Nobel-winning astrophysicist who led the James Webb Space Telescope program at NASA.

“US leadership — rooted in a commitment to ambitious innovation and collaboration — can help chart a path toward a future where every person has access to the food they need. Like exploring the cosmos, solving hunger requires looking far ahead, investing deeply, and refusing to accept limits on what’s possible.”

Food insecurity in US households

A 2025 Feeding America study indicates that nearly 20% of children across the country are food insecure, and in some rural counties, these rates are estimated to be as high as 50%.

According to the US government’s 2024 Household Food Security report, over 47.4 million people living in households experienced food insecurity in 2023. There was an increase of 3.2 million compared to 2022, and 13.5 million compared to 2021.

This surge was driven by the rollback of critical COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts, which temporarily boosted the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.