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7 Shocking Ways The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) Is Changing The Fight Against Hunger In 2025

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The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), a leading national organization, stands at the forefront of the battle against poverty-related hunger in the United States. As of late 2025, the organization is intensely focused on federal policy and data-driven advocacy, responding to the alarming rise in food insecurity across the nation. The organization's core mission is to improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of low-income people through powerful advocacy, strategic partnerships, and rigorous research.

Founded in 1970, FRAC has become the definitive authority on the efficacy and reach of critical federal nutrition programs, shaping the conversation on food policy from Capitol Hill to community food banks. The latest data underscores the urgency of their work, with recent USDA statistics showing that food insecurity is worsening, making FRAC's 2025 legislative and report agenda more critical than ever before.

FRAC Leadership and Core Mission: A 2025 Profile

The Food Research & Action Center operates as a non-partisan advocacy organization, leveraging data to drive policy change. Their work focuses on strengthening the federal nutrition safety net, which includes programs like SNAP, WIC, and school meals.

  • Organization Name: Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
  • Founded: 1970 in New York City
  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
  • Core Mission: To improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and research.
  • Key Leadership (2025): Crystal FitzSimons (President).
  • Key Board Member: Jess Bartholow (Director of Government Relations for SEIU California).
  • Affiliate Initiatives: D.C. Hunger Solutions and Maryland Hunger Solutions.

FRAC's strategy involves producing highly detailed, state-by-state reports on participation in federal programs. This data is then used to lobby Congress and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for administrative and legislative improvements.

The State of Hunger: FRAC's Alarming 2025 Statistics

FRAC consistently uses the most current data from the USDA's annual report on food security to highlight the national crisis. The latest figures reveal a worsening situation, demonstrating the immense pressure on the federal safety net.

  • Overall Food Insecurity: Approximately one in seven U.S. households (13.5 percent) experienced food insecurity, meaning they lacked consistent access to an affordable, nutritious diet.
  • Child Food Insecurity: A startling 13.8 million children lived in households that experienced food insecurity, marking a significant increase of 3.2 percent from the previous year.
  • Disproportionate Impact: Households headed by single women faced a food insecurity rate of 34.7 percent, underscoring the deep impact of structural economic and racial disparities on hunger.

These statistics form the foundation for FRAC's urgent policy agenda, pushing for stronger federal intervention to stabilize and expand access to nutritious food. Their reports often emphasize the connection between hunger, poverty, and health outcomes, particularly for children.

7 Major Policy Battles and Reports Driving FRAC’s 2025 Agenda

FRAC's 2025 efforts are centered on protecting and enhancing the four pillars of the federal nutrition safety net: SNAP, WIC, school meals, and summer/afterschool meals. The following seven points represent the most significant areas of their current advocacy and research.

1. The Fight to Protect SNAP from Harmful Waivers and Cuts

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) remains FRAC's top priority. In December 2025, FRAC publicly urged the USDA to end harmful waivers that impose food restrictions on participants. This advocacy is part of a broader effort to counteract recent proposals for cuts to SNAP benefits.

FRAC actively supports legislative efforts to modernize and strengthen the program, including the "Enhance Access to SNAP Act (EATS Act) (H.R. 3183/)" and the "Improving Access to Nutrition Act (H.R. 1510/S.)." These bills aim to remove bureaucratic barriers and ensure that the Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) accurately reflects the cost of a healthy diet.

2. Securing Full Funding for the WIC Program

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) faced a critical funding crisis in 2025. FRAC led a massive advocacy campaign to ensure WIC was fully funded without any benefit cuts.

They also released the report "Making WIC Work Better," which outlines ten key recommendations to increase participation and improve the program's effectiveness, focusing on reaching more eligible women and children who are currently missing out on vital maternal and child health support.

3. The Success and Expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)

A major win for FRAC's school meals advocacy is the continued expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The CEP allows high-poverty schools to offer breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students, eliminating the need for individual applications (known as "meal shaming").

FRAC’s "Community Eligibility: The Key to Hunger-Free Schools 2025" report, analyzing the 2024–2025 school year, shows rising national adoption rates. This demonstrates that more states are recognizing the CEP as a crucial tool for achieving hunger-free schools.

4. Addressing the Afterschool Meal Gap with "Afterschool Suppers"

FRAC’s latest report, "Afterschool Suppers: A Snapshot of Participation — October 2024," released in December 2025, highlighted the persistent gap in providing nutritious meals to children after the school day ends.

The report serves as a call to action for schools and community organizations to utilize the Afterschool Suppers component of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to ensure children receive a healthy dinner, especially in areas with high food insecurity.

5. The Critical Launch of Summer EBT

The introduction of the permanent Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (Summer EBT) program is a landmark achievement for anti-hunger advocates. FRAC's 2024 "Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation" report revealed a concerning drop in traditional summer meal participation.

The new Summer EBT program, which provides grocery benefits to families during the summer months, is seen as a vital solution to close the summer meal gap. FRAC is actively tracking its implementation and success, citing impactful early examples from the Chickasaw and Cherokee Nations in 2024.

6. Shaping the 2025 Farm Bill Priorities

The Farm Bill, which authorizes SNAP and other key programs, is a central focus for FRAC's legislative team. Their 2025 legislative priorities include advocating for the "Closing the Meal Gap Act (H.R. 3037/S.)."

This act aims to increase the minimum SNAP benefit and ensure that all low-income households can afford a basic, healthy diet, moving beyond the inadequate baseline set by the current Thrifty Food Plan.

7. Collaboration and Grassroots Mobilization

FRAC does not work alone. A significant part of their 2025 strategy involves mobilizing a vast network of partners, including the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), state-level hunger organizations, and community-based groups.

This coalition-building ensures that policy recommendations are informed by on-the-ground reality and that advocacy efforts have a unified, powerful voice in Congress. Their work with affiliates like D.C. Hunger Solutions and Maryland Hunger Solutions provides models for effective, state-specific anti-hunger strategies.

7 Shocking Ways the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) is Changing the Fight Against Hunger in 2025
food research action center
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