New report finds Minnesota state government has been providing inaccurate SNAP data for years
According to an investigation from KSTP 5 Eyewitness News, the Minnesota Department of Human Services reported incorrect data about the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for several years.
According to an investigation from KSTP 5 Eyewitness News, the Minnesota Department of Human Services reported incorrect data about the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for several years.
The investigation found that the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), which took over the administration of SNAP in Minnesota in 2024, relied on the flawed data to answer questions related to fraud in the food assistance program. As a result, USDA data on how much money Minnesota distributed to SNAP recipients and how many people have committed SNAP fraud in the state since 2021 are not accurate.
During an interview with 5 INVESTIGATES’ Kirsten Swanson, DCYF Commissioner Tikki Brown relied on the inaccurate data to answer questions about potential SNAP fraud. Four days after the interview with Swanson, a spokesperson admitted via email that the “numbers we shared in the interview … are inaccurate, like the SNAP issuance data in the report.”
The investigation stemmed from an unusually massive spike in SNAP issuance in Minnesota (173.8%) from 2020-21 in a USDA State Activity Report, which was also found to be inaccurate because pandemic EBT was mistakenly figured into the calculation. Said data influenced the two most recent USDA reports from 2022 and 2023.
⁉️WHY is Minnesota refusing to give Federal Gov’t our SNAP records…!?
I think I found what the @MinnesotaDFL is hiding.
LOOK⬇️⬇️⬇️at this chart showing MN with a 174% SNAP issuance increase from 2020 to 2021.
❌NO other state even coming close! https://t.co/WikDkqzaUB pic.twitter.com/tc9zALgQ44
— Pam Altendorf (@PamAltendorf) November 3, 2025
DCYF told 5 INVESTIGATES that it plans to submit revised data to the USDA and said “processes” were being put in place to prevent something like this from happening again.
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