USDA Actions on Food and Nutrition Security

Using a four-pillar approach, USDA is working tirelessly to tackle food and nutrition insecurity. Some top accomplishments over the last two years include:

Providing Nutrition support from Pregnancy to Birth and Beyond

• Re-evaluated the Thrifty Food Plan (the basis of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)) as directed by Congress, resulting in $1.19 more in SNAP benefits per person per day beginning in fiscal year 2022.
• Enhancing the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) food package and proposed updated nutrition standards for WIC food packages and school meals based on the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
• Investing approximately $1 billion per year on nutrition education and promotion through our 16 nutrition assistance programs.
• Reaching over 1.8 million individuals of all ages with SNAP Nutrition Education (SNAP-Ed) interventions at 314,000 sites in partnership with 29,000 organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam.

Connecting All Americans with Healthy, Safe, Affordable Food

• Investing $100 million in the Healthy Meals Incentive for Schools initiative, a multipronged approach to K-12 food system transformation designed to increase utilization, and thereby demand, for nutritious agricultural commodities, such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits as well as food products that reflect various cultures.
• Awarding $100 million in The Emergency Food Assistance Program Reach and Resiliency grants each tailored to the specific needs of the requesting state/territory and using a variety of approaches including but not limited to studies of program reach, cultural competency training for relevant staff, expanding mobile distribution infrastructure, investing in critical freezing and cooling options in rural areas, and developing and implementing targeted outreach within tribal areas.
• Investing $59.4 million to support the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program’s (GusNIP) Produce Prescription and Nutrition Incentive programs to encourage people to eat more healthfully by increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Increasing the WIC monthly cash-value benefit for fruits and vegetables that are substantially higher than the previous amounts made available through the program.
• Inspiring healthful eating with the redesigned SNAP-Ed Connection’s Recipes and Menus webpages that feature healthy, thrifty holiday menus in addition to hundreds of tasty, low-cost recipes by SNAP-Ed partners and MyPlate Kitchen.

Enhancing Nutrition Science Through Partnership

• Hosting our first National Nutrition Security and Healthcare Summit which drew more than 200 healthcare, federal, and community leaders.
• Working with ProMedica Healthcare System and The Root Cause Coalition on seven regional nutrition security and healthcare summits and releasing a synthesis of findings and themes in summer 2024.
• Growing our MyPlate National Strategic partnership to more than 140 partners.
• Releasing the Healthy Eating Index-2020, in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services, which included the first ever Healthy Eating Index-Toddlers-2020, to help researchers and programs assess alignment with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.

Prioritizing Equity Every Step of the Way

• Offering “to go” or delivery options for rural summer meal service in areas where onsite service is a barrier to access - this could serve up to 8 million children.
• Standing up a new Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer Program that can reach up to 30 million children and provide more than $3.5 billion in benefits each year.
• Expanding the diversity of online shopping retailers with SNAP benefits, now available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, a critical component to providing better access to healthy, safe, affordable foods across our country.
• Empowering tribal nations through a $10 million dollar investment in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations Self-Determination Demonstration Projects that supports the selection and purchase of foods and, in doing so, integrates tribal dietary preferences, supports tribal agricultural producers, and acknowledges tribal sovereignty.
• Launching USDA’s first Nutrition Hub at Southern University, a historically black, 1890 Land-grant University in Louisiana, and USDA-funded 1890 Center of Excellence for Nutrition, Health, Wellness and Quality of Life which was informed by community conversations and is designed as an engine for providing science-based, nutrition-related information at the community level, particularly in underserved communities disproportionately impacted by diet-related chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

Stay tuned as we dive deeper on our progress to date, showcasing ways to engage with us, as we go further, faster, and better, together.