Is it permissible to feed the poor and the needy in Ramadan from zakat money?

It is not permissible to give Zakat in the form of food, because what is obligatory is to transfer ownership of Zakat to the poor and needy, so that they may dispose of it as they see fit for themselves. This is indicated by the noble verse: (Indeed, [prescribed] charities are only for the poor and the needy...) as the letter "lam" [in the Arabic text] indicates ownership.