Blog
School Meals Served up Fresh in Southern California
The Urban School Food Alliance winter meeting in Los Angeles, California included FNS sessions focused on child nutrition programs. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions about the child nutrition programs they administer, including the recent updates.
03/10/2023
Blog
Massachusetts’ Flexible Services Program: Improving Food and Nutrition Security Improves Health
Project Bread, a Massachusetts nonprofit focused on permanently solving food insecurity, teamed up with MassHealth to pilot the Flexible Services Program, to bolster food security and meet nutritional needs from birth throughout childhood and beyond, improving health outcomes at every stage of life. Since April 2020, over 7,000 MassHealth members with complex health issues were given an array of food resources.
03/08/2023
Blog
Asignaciones de Emergencia en el programa SNAP Finalizan
Pronto, muchos hogares recipientes del programa de nutrición de SNAP (también conocido como cupones de alimentos) verán un cambio en la cantidad de beneficios que reciben cada mes. Esto se debe a que el aumento temporal de beneficios que empezó a ofrecerse a raíz de la pandemia, llamado “Asignación de Emergencia”, será discontinuado.
03/02/2023
Blog
ICYMI: 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Holds First Meeting
On Feb.9 and 10, the newly announced 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee convened for its first official meeting. Comprised of 20 nationally recognized science and nutrition experts, the Committee will provide independent, science-based advice and recommendations to be considered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and USDA in the development of the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
02/24/2023
Blog
Come to the Table Southeast Regional Nutrition Security and Healthcare Summit: Continuing the Conversation on Hunger as a Health Issue
On Jan. 19, 2023, USDA participated in the first of seven regional summits focused on strengthening the intersections between healthcare and nutrition security. These regional summits build on USDA’s first-ever National Nutrition Security and Healthcare Summit held in Washington, D.C., in October 2022. Together, the national and regional summits are leveraging the momentum of the White House Conference’s corresponding National Strategy that aims to end hunger, improve nutrition and physical activity, and reduce diet-related diseases and disparities.
02/10/2023
Blog
SNAP Emergency Allotments are Ending
Soon, many SNAP households will experience a change to their benefit amounts as the temporary pandemic-related boost to SNAP benefits, known as emergency allotments, come to an end. More than 41 million Americans receive food-buying benefits through SNAP. They rely on these benefits to put food on the table each month. That’s why it’s so important they know what’s happening to their benefits – and when – so they can plan for themselves and their families.
02/08/2023
Blog
USDA’s TEFAP Reach and Resiliency Grant Expands Distribution in Rural Nebraska
TEFAP Reach and Resiliency – Round 1 grants are making an impact in communities across the nation. The Food Bank of Lincoln has leveraged Reach and Resiliency sub-grant funding to identify underserved areas and to implement strategies to increase TEFAP access in those areas. In some cases, the strategies were as simple as increasing the frequency of deliveries to specific communities to ensure that existing TEFAP resources were being equitably distributed.
02/08/2023
Blog
Reimagining SNAP E&T for 2023 and Beyond
Last month, 350 SNAP E&T state agencies and other partners from across the country gathered for the 2022 SNAP E&T National Forum. This year’s National Forum included 32 sessions covering a diversity of topics, such as SNAP E&T policy, building E&T programs in rural communities, and using a trauma-informed and anti-racist lens to improve E&T programs.
02/03/2023
Blog
Announcing the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee!
The HHS and USDA are excited to announce the members of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee! The Committee will review the current body of nutrition science and make recommendations to help guide HHS and USDA as they develop the 10th edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
01/19/2023
Blog
Passionate about Good Nutrition for Kids
As I travel to other states in the coming months, I will share how Nevada made healthy school meals for all a reality with hopes that others can follow that same path. We all share the responsibility to ensure that children get healthy meals, so they can develop good eating habits at an early age and succeed later in life!
01/18/2023
Blog
Top Box Foods: A Simple and Stress-Free Way to Get Delicious, Nutritious Food in Chicago - Within any Budget
Top Box Foods is a community-driven non-profit, founded in Chicago in 2012, that creates access to healthy and affordable food for the communities they serve. Customers place orders online or via phone for nutritious food which is offered at prices up to 40% lower than grocery stores. Top Box Foods accepts SNAP benefits as payment for orders, making it an essential resource for households looking to make the most of their SNAP dollars.
12/07/2022
Blog
Tribal Food Sovereignty a Focus of NAFDPIR Conference
Since 1977, tribes and intertribal organizations have been eligible to receive food packages from the USDA. Historically, products in the food packages were not traditional to tribes participating in the program. However, in recent years and in consultation with tribes, more traditional products have been incorporated into food packages.
11/14/2022
Blog
Omaha Tribe of Nebraska WIC Garden Partners with Community for Nutrition Education
The Omaha Nation WIC program recognizes the importance of incorporating Indigenous foods and traditional cooking practices into the WIC experience to form a holistic approach to nutrition education. Recently, they have taken extra steps to spotlight foods indigenous to their community, as well as dishes and cooking methods traditionally used by the Umóⁿhoⁿ people.
11/09/2022
Blog
Cultural Relevance in SNAP-Ed: Let’s Get “Real”
Oklahoma Tribal Engagement Partners collaborates with sovereign tribal nations and tribal organizations throughout Oklahoma to tailor SNAP-Ed programming to meet the needs of Native families. Over time, focus groups have expressed what matters to Natives: the need to be “real.” As organizations look to develop culturally relevant programming, they must step back and listen to what matters to families.
11/02/2022
Blog
Come to the Table: Bringing Healthcare and Nutrition Together
Weeks ago, partners gathered at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health to forge a future without hunger, diet-related diseases, and health disparities. Building on the momentum, USDA recently hosted Come to the Table: USDA’s National Nutrition Security and Healthcare Summit. More than 200 healthcare, federal, and community leaders came together to advance the conference goals of ensuring all Americans have the resources necessary to eat nutritious foods that support good health.
10/27/2022
Blog
Food Waste Reduction through Farm to School Programs
October is Farm to School Month! The USDA Farm to School Program helps schools incorporate local foods into meal programs and supports local food and agriculture education through grants, research, and technical assistance. Less plate waste may be a benefit for schools implementing farm to school.
10/27/2022
Page updated: February 25, 2021