Title: USDA Programs that Support Tribal Households' Food Security May Not be Meeting Needs Description: Food insecurity among American Indian and Alaska Native households is significantly greater than it is for all U.S. households. In recent years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has committed to removing barriers that Tribes face when trying to access USDA assistance programs. We looked at this issue in a new report out today. We talk with GAO's Kathy Larin to learn more. Related work: GAO-24-106218, Tribal Food Security: Opportunities Exist to Address Challenges in Federal Nutrition Programs Released: July 2024 [Kathy Larin:] Food insecurity remains a major issue in tribal communities, and it affects the health and wellbeing of individuals who live there. [Holly Hobbs:] Hi and welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report--your source for fact-based, nonpartisan news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. I'm your host, Holly Hobbs. Food insecurity among American Indian and Alaska Native households is significantly greater than it is for all U.S. households. In recent years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has committed to removing barriers that Tribes face when trying to access USDA assistance programs. We looked at this issue in a new report out today. Here to tell us more is GAO's Kathy Larin, who led that work. Thanks for joining us. [Kathy Larin:] Thanks for having me, Holly. [Holly Hobbs:] So, Kathy, when we say food insecurity is higher in these populations, what does that look like? How much higher? [Kathy Larin:] The most recent data that we have from USDA is from 2022. And that year, 28% of American Indian and Alaska Native households were experiencing food insecurity. That means they didn't have enough food to live an active and healthy life. That compares to 13% for all American households. And that's a pattern that's consistent over the past decade. [Holly Hobbs:] And do we know why it's higher? [Kathy Larin:] Some of the challenges were economic--things like unemployment, poverty, high prices in grocery stores, and inflation. But there were other challenges as well. Many tribal communities are located in very remote areas. So, access to grocery stores that are well stocked with healthy food was a problem. Access to transportation was also a challenge. We also heard that weather and pollution can affect food security, both by making it difficult for Tribes to produce their own food, and sometimes for deliveries to make it to the grocery stores on reservations. [Holly Hobbs:] Our report looked at some of the barriers that American Indians and Alaska Natives face when trying to access USDA programs, and USDA has expressed a commitment to removing these barriers. What steps has it taken? [Kathy Larin:] You know, incorporating indigenous perspectives really has helped with some of the food security challenges in tribal communities, especially those related to food availability and food quality. For example, the Tribes and tribal organizations that we met with told us the quality of food in the FDPIR Program has improved over the years. And thanks to recent changes, those packages now include more indigenous foods such as bison stew meat. But despite these efforts, there are continuing barriers that tribal communities face in accessing programs. For example, in applying for the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), people often face lengthy delays in accessing benefits. This is because it's difficult to confirm that applicants aren't already enrolled in another nutrition assistance program. [Holly Hobbs:] So we've talked about barriers to these programs, but what about the programs themselves? Are the existing programs enough to help these communities? [Kathy Larin:] Some of the things that USDA has done really have helped, but not all the changes are within their authority. For example, Tribes and tribal organizations we met with told us that the quality of the food in the FDPIR program really has improved over the years. Also, while FDPIR was traditionally distributed in fixed food packages, many Tribes have developed a grocery store model that allows participants to choose which foods they want in their package, and that really has helped with participation. {MUSIC} [Holly Hobbs:] Kathy just told us that USDA has taken steps to work with Tribes to improve programs that serve them. But barriers to access still exist and some needed steps are outside of USDA's authority to take. So, Kathy, what more do we think USDA should be doing to help tribal communities address food insecurity? [Kathy Larin:] So, we really think that USDA can do more to address the delays that some people experience when they apply for nutrition assistance through FDPIR by supporting better communication between Tribes and state agencies. We also think that USDA could do more to systematically identify and address gaps in outreach so that people have more awareness of the programs they're eligible for. [Holly Hobbs:] Some of the issues we highlighted in our report seem outside of USDA's authority. Do we think Congress should take action? [Kathy Larin:] Yeah, we did ask Congress to take some action. We're asking them to consider explicitly addressing in statute the role of Tribes in administering nutrition assistance programs. Through our work we found that tribal governments may administer certain nutrition programs, but not others. And we found that most of the programs do not require any kind of tribal consultation. So, we're asking Congress to consider addressing this. [Holly Hobbs:] And last question. What's the bottom line of this report? [Kathy Larin:] Food insecurity remains a major issue in tribal communities, and it affects the health and wellbeing of individuals who live there. While USDA is taking some steps to address food security challenges, we believe there is more that both USDA and Congress can do to address ongoing challenges that tribal communities face. [Holly Hobbs:] That was Kathy Larin talking about GAO's new report on tribal food insecurity. Thanks for your time, Kathy. [Kathy Larin:] Thanks, Holly. [Holly Hobbs:] And thank you for listening to the Watchdog Report. To hear more podcasts, subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. And make sure to leave a rating and review to let others know about the work we're doing. For more from the congressional watchdog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, visit us at GAO.gov.