Food Security Is Health Policy

As Missouri families face rising food costs and ongoing uncertainty around nutrition assistance programs, conversations about food security have never been more important. In an op-ed published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, our CEO, Riisa Rawlins, highlights the connections between SNAP, local food systems, agricultural communities, and public health, while calling for policies that support both Missouri families and the farmers who help feed them. Read the full op-ed below.

Food Security Is Health Policy

There are moments when public policy becomes visible in everyday life: in the grocery aisle, at the food pantry, around the family table and in community gardens where neighbors care for one another.

As Missouri families face rising food costs and continued uncertainty around SNAP, we should be clear: food security and agricultural security are inseparable. We cannot build a strong Missouri by forcing a false choice between supporting farmers and feeding families.

At the Community Health Commission of Missouri, we believe public policy must be anchored in lived experience and strengthened through partnership. Across urban neighborhoods and rural communities alike, we hear from families, providers and local leaders working to meet basic needs while navigating systems that can be difficult to access.

We also see communities doing what they have always done in moments of strain: planting, organizing, feeding neighbors and building local solutions rooted in care. In places like Lilbourn and New Madrid, community farming efforts help families access fresh produce while strengthening local food networks. Across the state, food pantries, faith organizations, local growers, and nonprofit partners do everything they can to help meet the need. These efforts matter and deserve continued recognition, investment and support.

But community solutions should not be mistaken for a substitute for strong public policy and an accessible nutrition system. Goodwill alone cannot meet the full scale of food insecurity and local efforts cannot replace SNAP, nor should they be expected to.

The impact of SNAP reductions and access barriers extends beyond individual households. Food access, community health and local economies are connected across Missouri. When families can afford food, local farmers, grocers and small businesses are stronger. When families lose food assistance, the consequences ripple through entire communities.

That is why access must be part of the policy conversation. Too often, whether a family receives nutrition assistance depends not only on eligibility, but on their ability to navigate processes that can be difficult to complete, especially for households under stress.

In 2025, the Harpool injunction brought attention to long-standing challenges with Missouri’s SNAP call center and interview process. In the months that followed, nearly half of SNAP denials resulted from missed interviews because applicants could not reach a state worker by phone.

This is not a failure of effort by Missouri families. It is a systems challenge with real consequences. When eligible families lose access to food because the process is too difficult to navigate, the result is unnecessary hardship, worsening health outcomes, and increased stress.

Missouri has an opportunity to strengthen this infrastructure. These challenges are solvable, but solving them requires investment. With adequate staffing, modernized technology, clear communication and strong partnerships with trusted community-based organizations, Missouri can reduce barriers and ensure eligible families receive the support for which they qualify.

But state-level improvements alone are not enough. Missouri’s agricultural communities need the certainty and stability that come with strong federal policy. Families need reliable access to nutrition assistance. Local food systems need investment. Rural economies need support. These needs are not in competition with one another; they are connected.

That is why the current Farm Bill debate matters so much. Missouri’s agricultural communities need the certainty and stability that come with strong federal policy. Families need reliable access to nutrition assistance. Local food systems need investment. Rural economies need support. These needs are not in competition with one another; they are connected.

Any Farm Bill moving forward should support agricultural stability while protecting nutrition access for Missouri families. Missouri cannot afford legislation that asks us to choose between supporting farmers and feeding families. We need both.

Food security is health policy. It is also economic policy, rural policy and family policy. When we invest in compassionate access to nutrition, we invest in healthier communities, a more resilient food system and a stronger Missouri.

Let us commit to policies that honor human dignity, strengthen local leadership and support practical solutions, ensuring every Missourian, regardless of their ZIP code, has the support they need to thrive.

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Riisa Rawlins, MSW is Chief Executive Officer of the Community Health Commission of Missouri.