Newsroom

At the 2023 White House Tribal Youth Summit, USDA offers new resources to inspire Native American youth to explore Indigenous foodways and knowledge and highlight career paths at USDA and beyond. These efforts are part of USDA’s commitment to empowering tribal self-determination and bringing Indigenous perspectives into agriculture, food, and nutrition.

Families affected by severe storms in the areas of Johnson, Ludlow, Hardwick, Barre/Berlin/ Montpelier/Northfield, and Chester will soon be able to receive food packages containing nutritious, high-quality foods that are 100% grown and produced on farms in the U.S. – known as USDA Foods.

The administration is equipping emergency food providers with significant levels of investments so they can continue serving their communities well through ongoing and evolving challenges. These investments focus on additional food purchases, improving infrastructure, supporting health and nutrition, bolstering local food systems, and promoting access and equity to continue to drive toward a stronger tomorrow.

USDA is partnering with Washington, D.C., to promote economic opportunities for farmers and producers and to increase access to locally sourced, fresh, healthy and nutritious food in underserved communities and in schools. The Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement Program and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program will improve food and agricultural supply-chain resiliency and increase local food consumption around the country.

USDA is aiding recovery efforts for farmers, ranchers and residents affected by Hurricane Fiona. USDA staff in offices across the country are ready to respond with a variety of program flexibilities and other assistance to producers and communities in need.

FNS awarded over $39 million in grants to 38 state agencies to improve TEFAP reach into remote, rural, tribal, and/or low-income areas that are underserved by the program.

USDA today announced assistance to help schools respond to supply chain disruptions, as part of a comprehensive set of investments to address challenges in American agriculture today. This is the latest example of the ongoing support USDA is providing schools and states as they to adapt to the ever-changing pandemic situation while working to ensure children receive nutritious school meals.

As students, parents and caretakers adjust to a physical return to classrooms this fall, the USDA reminds families to follow food safety practices to prevent foodborne illness when it comes to preparing frozen foods.

Families in Louisiana affected by Hurricane Ida will soon be able to receive food packages containing USDA Foods – nutritious, high-quality foods 100% grown and produced on farms. USDA approved the short-term measure to address an immediate need for food until a longer-term solution is ready.

USDA announced it will purchase up to $159.4 million in domestically produced seafood, fruits, legumes, and nuts for distribution to a variety of domestic food assistance programs, including charitable institutions. This is one of many actions USDA is taking to address the disruptions in the food system supply chain and worsened food insecurity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, the USDA is increasing food assistance to low-income seniors – a population that has been especially hard-hit by the pandemic – by providing nearly $37 million in additional support to CSFP.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is seeking comments on a Department-wide effort to improve and reimagine the supply chains for the production, processing and distribution of agricultural commodities and food products.

In January 2021, President Biden released the National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness. The plan is driven by science, data, and public health to improve the effectiveness of our nation’s fight against COVID-19 and to restore trust, accountability and a sense of common purpose in our response to the pandemic.

USDA and the Biden-Harris administration are committed to ensuring that all struggling families can get the nutritious food they need.

Secretary Perdue announced the USDA will purchase an additional $1.5 billion worth of food for nationwide distribution through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program.

In partnership with tribes across the country, the USDA announced additional food for families in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increased food assistance will temporarily supplement the monthly food package FDPIR households currently receive.

Secretary Sonny Perdue announced today that the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program has distributed more than 20 million food boxes in support of American farmers and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

USDA today announced that it has purchased more than $2.2 billion of meat, fruits, vegetables, specialty crops and dairy products in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 in its ongoing efforts to feed people in need and assist American farmers and ranchers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations.