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As part of Hurricane Preparedness Week, USDA today announced improvements to the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP).

Secretary Sonny Perdue met today with leaders from around the country to explore new ways to help low-income Americans access nutritious food and move to an independent and self-sufficient future.

Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a memorandum to state agencies encouraging them to require Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants to cooperate with child support programs.

For the first time, SNAP participants will be able to select and pay for their groceries online, during a two-year pilot launched today in New York State. In making the announcement, Secretary Sonny Perdue highlighted online purchasing’s potential, along with USDA's commitment to program integrity by looking carefully at the pilot.

USDA  published a final rule today designed to ensure that SNAP standards on eligibility for students and restrictions for lottery winners and convicted felons are consistently applied, and that program integrity is secure.

To aid Iowa residents impacted by recent flooding, USDA today announced the availability of Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for five western Iowa counties. Households that do not normally qualify for SNAP may be eligible for D-SNAP if they meet certain requirements.

Low-income Nebraskans recovering from recent flooding could be eligible for food benefits through the Disaster SNAP program. The department also approved the state’s request for temporary flexibility in meeting school lunch meal pattern requirements.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in coordination with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), invites the public to register to attend the first meeting of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The meeting will be held at USDA headquarters in the Jefferson Auditorium on March 28th and 29th. Registration for in-person attendance begins today and closes at 5:00 p.m. March 26, 2019. Please visit DietaryGuidelines.gov for registration details.

In a continuing effort to help Americans make healthy food choices, and in honor of National Nutrition Month®, Secretary Sonny Perdue today announced a new campaign to help simplify the nutrition information that surrounds us each day.

Secretary Perdue today reiterated during a U.S. Senate hearing the need to restore the original intent of SNAP, which is to be a second chance and not a way of life.