94 Million Pounds Lost: The Data Behind America’s Growing Food Gap

On a sweltering morning in Vidalia, Louisiana, Shannan Cornwell and Freddie Green stood in line under the sun, waiting for food to feed their household. Both have faced serious health challenges — back surgery for her, cancer treatment for him — and as grocery prices soared, they turned to their local food bank for help.

For much of the spring and summer, Cornwell said, there was no meat at all. That missing protein is part of a nationwide shortage triggered when the federal government abruptly cut $500 million from a key food assistance program in 2025. The program—The Emergency Food Assistance Program—provides the most nutritious foods to food banks like meat, dairy, eggs, and produce.

According to USDA records, between May and September 2025, 4,304 truck deliveries were canceled—representing nearly 94 million pounds of food that never reached families. Among the items lost were:

• 27 million pounds of chicken

• 67 million eggs

• 10 million pounds of dried fruit

• 2 million gallons of milk

Each of those shipments had the potential to feed hundreds of thousands of children and caregivers. Instead, pantries across all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and D.C. reported shelves growing bare.

The Food Bank of Central Louisiana, which serves one of the poorest regions in the country, lost 10 orders worth over $400,000—including pork, chicken, cheese, milk, and eggs. Before the cuts, families received 25-pound food boxes; by summer, those boxes weighed barely half that.

The losses are not abstract.

• A single truckload of chicken—about 40,000 pounds—could provide 160,000 family meals.

• One million missing gallons of milk equals roughly 16 million breakfasts lost.

• The 67 million missing eggs represent 5.5 million dozen, enough for 16 million meals that never made it to tables.

For families like Cornwell and Green’s, these missing meals mean more stress and harder decisions: stretching food further, skipping protein, or visiting multiple food sites just to make ends meet.

In New Mexico, Roadrunner Food Bank lost 850,000 pounds of food to the same cuts. Lines there now wrap around city blocks, and families report receiving less dairy, meat, and fresh produce. “People are going from place to place to try to piece together enough coverage for their family,” said one staff member.

And the problem compounds: food banks are simultaneously seeing declines in private donations and volunteers, while SNAP benefits—the nation’s primary safety net—are being cut by $187 billion (20%) through 2034.

Food assistance isn’t just about hunger relief — it’s about protecting families’ dignity, health, and hope. When support disappears, families don’t just lose food. They lose stability.