Newsroom

A new report released today from the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) finds that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as Food Stamps, is highly effective at reducing food insecurity—the government’s measure for whether households lack the resources for consistent and dependable access to food. The report highlights a growing body of research that finds that children who receive food assistance see improvements in health and academic performance and that these benefits are mirrored by long-run improvements in health, educational attainment, and economic self-sufficiency. The report also features new research that shows benefit levels are often inadequate to sustain families through the end of the month—resulting in high-cost consequences, such as a 27 percent increase in the rate of hospital admissions due to low blood sugar for low-income adults between the first and last week of the month, as well as diminished performance on standardized tests among school age children.

As part of its commitment to protecting the integrity of the child nutrition programs, FNS kicked off a prize challenge today to solicit innovative designs for an electronic school meals application.

USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture today awarded $2 million in grants to support research on nutrition education and obesity prevention for disadvantaged children and families at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Utah State University.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced $4.8 million in grants for 74 projects spanning 39 states that support USDA's efforts to connect child nutrition programs with local farmers and ranchers through its Farm to School Program.

Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the creation of the nation's first SNAP Employment and Training Center of Excellence. 

At the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition, Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that with the current school year underway, 97 percent of schools now report successfully meeting updated nutrition standards, and the number of eligible high-poverty schools utilizing USDA's Community Eligibility Provision has increased by 20 percent since last year.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced preliminary Farm to School Census data for school year 2013-2014 that indicate strong farm to school programs can increase the number of students purchasing school breakfast and lunch, improve consumption of healthier foods at school, and reduce plate waste. 

FBS announces the expansion of the Team Up for School Nutrition Success initiative with the addition of two trainings designed to help make the initiative a sustainable training program for advancing the school nutrition field.

Under Secretary Kevin Concannon today announced an award of over $9 million in technology grants to help selected state agencies combat benefit abuse and trafficking by participants in SNAP. Projects in Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada and New Jersey were selected.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of up to $16.8 million in funding to help SNAP participants in  increase their purchases of fruits and vegetables. The funding is available to local, state and national organizations to test incentive strategies to help SNAP participants better afford healthy foods.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today helped to kick off the nation's harvest season by announcing nearly $35 million in new funding through four grant programs to support local and regional food systems, including farmers markets.

Due to the Valley Fires, and effective immediately, retail food stores licensed by FNS to accept SNAP benefits in the following counties may accept SNAP benefits in exchange for HOT foods and foods intended to be consumed on retailer premises: Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Yolo. These special rules are in effect through Oct. 24, 2015

Under Secretary Kevin Concannon today announced $5 million in grants to state and local agencies and community partners to streamline application processing and improve technology in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The competitively-awarded grants will fund six projects in four states, improving efficiency in SNAP operations.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the release of a new report that shows that USDA's Farm to School Grant Program has helped 12,300 schools improve nutritious meal options made with local ingredients for 6.9 million students, while expanding market opportunities for family farmers and ranchers in their communities.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA will be awarding over $8 million in grants to help school nutrition professionals better prepare healthy meals for their students.

The subject today is child nutrition, and we have three people to whom this subject is very important: the Secretary of Agriculture, the president of the national pediatric association, and the director of nutrition research at the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Secretary Vilsack today delivered remarks at the National Press Club encouraging Congress to act quickly to reauthorize a strong Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act and support the ongoing success of the healthier meals now being served in schools across the country. 

In preparation for the 2015 school year, Undersecretary Kevin Concannon, encourages schools to maintain momentum and continue striving toward a healthier generation by offering nutritious, balanced meals to all students.

USDA today announced that the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will become the 52nd state agency to operate the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program. The program is part of USDA's efforts to improve the health and well-being of seniors, ensuring that all older Americans have access to healthy food.

Secretary Tom Vilsack is recognizing WIC state and local agencies  that excel in offering education and support for breastfeeding mothers.