Just over a year ago, President Trump signed H.R. 1—the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act"—into law. In a new brief, One Year Later, GFI and the Center for Science in the Public Interest examine what has happened since to the nation's food safety net.

One provision hasn’t gotten enough attention. Administering SNAP requires states to determine each household's eligibility and benefits based on their unique circumstances, verifying income, expenses, and other factors. Sometimes states err in their determinations or in updating benefit levels given changing household circumstances. H.R. 1 introduced unprecedented outsized financial penalties for states where that happens too often: starting in late 2027, states with too many payment errors will have to start covering a portion of SNAP's benefits out of their own budgets.

But H.R. 1's own rushed rollout, USDA's delays in providing guidance to states on the new law, and last fall's government shutdown have made those mistakes more likely, not less. States are being set up to fail the very standards they're being penalized for missing—and when they do, the penalty will be real and force painful choices.

Because states are required to balance their budgets every year, if they can't cover the SNAP penalty by cutting services or raising taxes elsewhere, they may consider reducing the number of people receiving food assistance as a means to pay. They could even opt out of SNAP altogether.

Minimizing SNAP payment errors is critical to program integrity. But a program can't have integrity if the people it's meant to serve can't get through the door. The good news is that Congress can still solve this; it just needs to act before the bill comes due next year.

Stacy Dean
Carbonell Family Executive Director
Global Food Institute

The Trump administration's Make America Healthy Again Commission has called for improving Americans' diets and reducing chronic disease. Yet H.R. 1—signed into law one year ago—made the deepest cuts to SNAP in the program's fifty-year history. A new brief from GFI and the Center for Science in the Public Interest examines this tension and its consequences: more than 4 million Americans have already lost food assistance, with ripple effects across WIC, free school meals, and the emergency food system. 

As co-authors Priya Fielding-Singh and Joelle Johnson write: "If the administration's health objectives are to be realized, the deep contradictions between H.R. 1 and the MAHA agenda will need to be reckoned with."

A Rare Window to Act on Added Sugar

Added sugar is harming kids’ health. So, what can be done about it? In a new USA Today op-ed, GFI’s Priya Fielding-Singh argues that meeting the new Dietary Guidelines' targets for reducing children's sugar intake requires policy action—and draws from our policy brief to lay out three areas where the government can act. 

The Lasting Effects of USAID's Dismantling

What happens when global food assistance disappears overnight? In a new Food Talk podcast, GFI's Caitlin Grady joins former USAID Chief Nutritionist Patrick Webb to discuss the rising toll of aid cuts and the challenges facing communities around the world. 

2026 Grocery Retail for All Summit

Gen Z Food & Hunger Summit

This summer, GFI took part in two important gatherings focused on strengthening the food system.

In June, GFI co-hosted the National Grocery Retail for All Summit with Food Systems for the Future Institute, bringing together retailers, community leaders, and advocates to discuss strategies for supporting local food access. Recordings and resources are available here.

In July, GFI joined the Congressional Hunger Center for the Gen Z Food & Hunger Summit, where 170 students and future leaders, including 11 from GW, were trained to advance solutions to hunger and connected with their lawmakers to share their experiences and perspectives firsthand.

Southern Family Farmers & Food Systems Conference. From August 3–4 in San Marcos, Texas, join nonprofit and sustainable agriculture advocates to learn about the policies and regulations shaping local food systems.

Global Conscious Food Systems Summit. From August 31–September 4, this hybrid (Bhutan and online) international summit brings together leaders from government, philanthropy, academia, and civil society to advance more sustainable and equitable food systems.

Farm Aid 2026. Happening September 26, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, this annual event celebrates family farmers through music, advocacy, and education while raising awareness about the challenges facing America's farming communities.

Save the Date! 2026 Regional College Hunger Conference. On October 6 at the George Washington University, Capital Area Food Bank will convene local higher education leaders and advocates for its annual conference on college food insecurity. A call for proposals is now open.

H2HC 2026 Fall Summit: Lessons from the Field. On November 16–17, this summit in Boston, MA, will bring together leaders across food, nutrition, and health to share innovative approaches to advancing health equity.

No More “Sell By.” California has become the first state to eliminate "sell by" labels, adopting standardized date labels designed to reduce consumer confusion and help prevent unnecessary food waste. HealthDay News

Arizona's SNAP Collapse. Arizona has seen a 51% drop in SNAP participation, and food bank visits are now surpassing SNAP enrollment. The Times reports on what these cuts mean for real families. The New York Times

Reimagining the Future of Foreign Aid. The Rockefeller Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation launched a new bipartisan Commission on the Future of Foreign Assistance to develop recommendations for a more effective and accountable U.S. assistance system. The Rockefeller Foundation

When Food Safety Funding Falls Short. Barbara Kowalcyk, GFI Affiliate Faculty and Director of GW’s Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security is bringing attention through webinars and in major media outlets to the recent cyclospora outbreak—and highlighting how stagnant food safety funding makes outbreaks harder to detect and contain. The Guardian

State of Play. A new report, released yesterday, highlights the United Nations' commitment to "Zero Hunger" by 2030. The report touches on the persistent challenge of the high cost of a healthy diet and its implications for ending hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition by 2030. FAO

Finding Common Ground. A new paper from the Center for Science in the Public Interest underscores opportunities for anti-hunger and public health communities to come together to strengthen nutrition outcomes and build a more equitable food system. American Journal of Public Health

Hannah Ritchie, Sophia Mersmann, Pablo Rosado, and Marwa Boukarim (2026) - “How does food get traded around the world?” Published online at OurWorldinData.org. 

Ever wonder how food moves around the world before it reaches us? This interactive data visualization lets you explore global food trade flows, showing where countries get their food and how connected our food systems really are. It's a fascinating look at the networks that shape food security, agriculture, and global markets. Don't say we didn't warn you—it's easy to spend *a lot* of time playing with these data!

We want to lift up your work and share information about events, opportunities to collaborate or whatever you think is important to share. Email us at globalfoodinstitute@gwu.edu. 

Do you know someone who would be interested in this newsletter? Forward to a friend!