But rather than seeing this as evidence of a government failure, a chorus of activists and pundits insist that it proves that even more people should be encouraged to depend on Uncle Sam for their next meal.

The USDA announced last September that 14.3 percent of American households suffer from "food insecurity." There are 49 million people living in those households, and the media coverage presumed that all those residents were either hungry or "food insecure." But the USDA's report states that many residents — especially children — in such households actually do not go hungry or suffer doubts about food. That statistical contortion is typical of a report seemingly crafted to provide cover for bureaucrats while permitting politicians to fan public fears.

Over the past 15 years federal surveys have profoundly muddled Americans' understanding of the hunger problem. During the Clinton administration, the USDA began using a "food insecurity" survey that had been initially created by the Food Research Action Center (FRAC), a left-wing advocacy organization renowned for hyping hunger.