Newsroom

The Biden Administration announced today that USDA will provide nearly $1 billion in additional funding to schools to support the purchase of American-grown foods for their meal programs.

I am pleased to see that Congress has taken action to provide much needed support to help USDA’s child nutrition programs serve nutritious meals to America’s children. - Secretary Vilsack

USDA’s child nutrition programs provide nutritious meals to America’s children. The school and other nutrition professionals who make these meals possible need additional resources and continued flexibilities as they grapple with the ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic. The deal would ease uncertainty and bring a measure of relief to our schools, summer sites and child care feeding programs - Secretary Vilsack.

The FNS Southeast Regional Office announced today the award of a $1,000,000 grant to Alabama Department of Education, which administers the National School Lunch Program in the state.

The FNS Western Region announced today the award of a $999,887 grant to the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction which administers the National School Lunch Program in Washington.

The FNS Mid-Atlantic Region announced today the award of a $982,827 grant to Virginia Department of Education, which administers the National School Lunch Program in the Commonwealth.

FNS announced today that it will interpret the prohibition on discrimination based on sex found in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and in the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, as amended, SNAP to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. 

During a visit to Columbia University and in celebration of National Nutrition Month, Secretary Vilsack today announced a report detailing USDA's Actions on Nutrition Security. 

The USDA today announced it is accepting applications for the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program, which will provide up to $200 million for states to purchase local food for school meal programs.

USDA today announced updates to the school nutrition standards that give schools a clear path forward as they build back better from the pandemic. These actions provide support for the dedicated school meal program operators who provide critical nutrition to millions of children every school day.  

Secretary Tom Vilsack issued the following statement highlighting key accomplishments to promote food and nutrition security at the Department of Agriculture since the Biden-Harris Administration took office.

FNS today reflected on its efforts over the past year to ensure households across the country have access to a nutritious diet. Throughout the first year of the Biden-Harris Administration, FNS bolstered its nutrition assistance programs through a wide range of administrative actions and with the unprecedented $12 billion investment in food assistance provided by the American Rescue Plan Act.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced an adjustment in school meal reimbursements to help schools continue to serve children healthy and nutritious meals. This move will put an estimated $750 million more into school meal programs across the nation this year, making sure federal reimbursements keep pace with food and operational costs, while ensuring children continue to receive healthy meals at school.

Secretary Sonny Perdue today applauded the accomplishments made by the USDA over the past year.

President Donald Trump proclaimed this week National School Lunch Week 2020, highlighting the vital role of school nutrition professionals in ensuring that children in all communities nationwide continue to get nutritious meals, despite the challenges posed by the current public health emergency.

Secretary Sonny Perdue announced today that the USDA is extending flexibilities to allow free meals to continue to be available to all children throughout the entire 2020-2021 school year.

FNS Administrator Pam Miller visited two sites in Lebanon, PA, today to celebrate World School Milk Day. Miller met with the American Dairy Association North East and toured Brook-Corner Holsteins dairy farm to see first-hand the hard work and dedication American farmers put into getting nutritious milk and other products to the school lunch table.