Assessing the Nutritional Quality of the FDPIR Food Package

The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) provides USDA Foods to income-eligible households living on Indian reservations and to American Indian households residing in approved areas near reservations or in Oklahoma. Many households participate in FDPIR as an alternative to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) because FDPIR is preferred, or they do not have easy access to SNAP offices or authorized food stores. Through FDPIR, participating households receive a supplemental food package each month to help them maintain a nutritionally balanced diet.

The purpose of this research was to measure the nutritional quality of the FDPIR food package “as offered” (foods in amounts available for participants to choose from) and “as issued” (foods in amounts that participants typically select each month) using a diet quality index referred to as the Healthy Eating Index (HEI). The HEI score is a widely used measure of the nutritional quality of food and the total HEI-2015 score ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 being the best and high scores indicating better diet quality.

This study provided an update to the first HEI estimate of the 2014 FDPIR food package. Since 2014, changes have been made to the food package and therefore it is critical for the program to assess the nutrition quality of those enhancements.​

Key Findings

• The HEI-2015 score for the FDPIR food package “as offered” in FY 2022 was 84.3 based on a monthly food package of a one-person household.
• The HEI-2015 score for the FDPIR food package “as issued” to participants in FY 2022 was 70.3.
• Both scores are higher than the latest HEI-2015 scores for dietary intakes of the average American (59.0) for the years 2017-2018.

Additional Resources

• Healthy Eating Index (HEI) Score of the FDPIR Food Package Infographic