Newsroom

Under Secretary Kevin Concannon today announced awards to help four states improve enrollment in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs through a process called direct certification. Direct certification requires states and local educational agencies to automatically enroll students from households already participating in the SNAP or FDPIR, without an additional application from the child’s family to assist low-income households with children eligible for free meals at school.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary Tom Vilsack today highlighted the achievements of the historic Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, one year after the legislation was enacted to combat child hunger and obesity and improve the health and nutrition of the nation's children.

Under Secretary Dr. Catherine Woteki today announced new research grants and cooperative agreement awards in eight states and the District of Columbia designed to examine, evaluate and enhance USDA's nutrition assistance programs.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today highlighted positive changes in the school meals programs to promote children's health during National School Lunch Week, Oct. 10-14. USDA, along with its partners, celebrate the program's accomplishments, including the achievements of HealthierUS School Challenge honorees and the enactment of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

USDA Under Secretary Kevin Concannon today highlighted the results of two Summer Food Service Program pilot programs in Arkansas and Mississippi that used incentives to increase participation among low-income children. The study found that the innovative pilot programs were associated with an increased average participation rate among kids in the Summer Food Service Programs by 35 percent in Arkansas and 19 percent in Mississippi.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced investments across the country to help children develop positive nutrition and physical activity habits that can lead to healthier lifestyles. The grants will provide nutrition education materials, resources for children and parents, and technical assistance and training for school food service providers and communities participating in the National School Lunch and Child and Adult Care Food Programs. 

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced investments in the national school meal program that will protect taxpayer dollars while providing healthy school meals for low-income kids.  The Administrative Review and Training Grants help states improve their operational accuracy in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. The grants highlight the work of states in improving the integrity and efficiency of program administration and delivery.

Administrator Audrey Rowe today highlighted Obama administration efforts to improve school nutrition and foster healthy lifestyle choices by America’s school-age children during a visit to Sherwood Acres Elementary Magnet School in Albany, Ga.

Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today highlighted the importance of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and announced the findings of USDA's first Farm to School report during the 2011 School Nutrition Association national convention.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service and FNS will conduct a pilot for acquiring fresh fruits and vegetables to build on farm-to-school programs in Florida and Michigan. The pilot will use commercial distribution models already in place and allow schools to obtain locally grown produce.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA in cooperation with state partners has improved payment accuracy and program integrity in the nation's largest nutrition assistance program. Vilsack commended selected states for their excellence in administering SNAP in FY 2010.

Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today the finalists in First Lady Michelle Obama's Recipes for Healthy Kids competition, a national contest to promote healthy eating among children.

USDA announced today that Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee were selected to participate in the initial year of an innovative universal free meal service option that makes it easier for low-income children to receive meals in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. 

Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager and Acting Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse will begin today a two-day tour of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri, to meet with those affected by recent disasters.

Today, Secretary Vilsack announced the start of the judging period in First Lady Michelle Obama's Recipes for Healthy Kids competition. A judging team led by Audrey Rowe, Administrator of USDA's Food and Nutrition Service visited a local school in Greeley today, kicking off visits to 15 semi-finalist schools around the nation. USDA and the First Lady launched the Recipes for Healthy Kids competition last September, challenging teams of school nutrition professionals, chefs, students, and community members to develop creative, nutritious, and kid-approved recipes that schools can easily incorporate into National School Lunch Program menus.

Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that tribal nutrition education projects in 10 states have been selected to receive grants this year through USDA's Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. The grants will help develop creative, self-initiated projects designed to enhance the nutrition knowledge and to foster positive lifestyle changes of FDPIR participants in low-income households living on Indian reservations and to American Indian households residing in approved areas near reservations or in Oklahoma.

Agriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon today announced that more low-income kids will have access to nutrition assistance when school is out and during critical gap periods. USDA's Food and Nutrition Service provided waivers to simplify existing regulations making it easier to provide critical meals through the Summer Food Service Program. The changes will expand and enhance the ability of the SFSP to provide nutritious meals and snacks to children in low-income areas during the summer months and long vacation periods for schools on year-round schedules.

USDA announced today that ten states were selected as finalists to participate in a pilot program for an innovative universal free meal service option designed to make it easier for low-income children to receive meals in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. 

Today, Secretary Vilsack announced the recipes chosen to advance in First Lady Michelle Obama's Recipes for Healthy Kids competition and encouraged the public to vote for their favorite recipe now through May 15, 2011. USDA and the First Lady launched the Recipes for Healthy Kids competition last September, challenging teams of school nutrition professionals, chefs, students, and community members to develop creative, nutritious, and kid-approved recipes that schools can easily incorporate into National School Lunch Program menus.

Under Secretary, Kevin Concannon and Congressman Mike McIntyre visited Elizabethtown Primary School in Elizabethtown, N.C. today to celebrate School Breakfast Week and National Nutrition Month. During their visit they highlighted the importance of USDA's nutrition assistance programs that touch the lives of 1 in 4 Americans last year, including the nearly 32 million kids that participate in school meal programs every school day.