USDA is working tirelessly to tackle food and nutrition insecurity. Dr. Caree Cotwright, Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity, reflects on progress and work ahead to advance food and nutrition security.
FNS hosted a webinar to provide state agencies and food banks with information about how TEFAP can support cultural and religious practices around food, particularly those serving kosher and halal observant communities. The webinar featured panelists from state agencies and food banks who have successfully implemented processes to serve these specific communities.
FNS hosted a second webinar to provide program stakeholders with additional information on supporting kosher observant communities through TEFAP.
This webinar discusses the current programs available to provide food and administrative funds for state agencies to support food banks and emergency feeding programs. The presentation provides an overview of resources available to The Emergency Food Assistance Program, including Congressionally appropriated program funds, Section 32 bonus foods, and the recent commitment from USDA to provide additional food and administrative support using the Commodity Credit Corporation. We also highlight the Reach and Resiliency grant opportunity and Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program.
States have long served as incubators for testing strategies to help prevent program fraud. Based on an FNS partnership with 10 states, the "SNAP Fraud Framework" combines innovations in the use of analytics with concepts and practices from industry in order to more effectively detect potential fraud and improve administration and oversight.
USDA Efforts to Reduce Waste, Fraud and Abuse in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
The sale or exchange of SNAP benefits for anything other than food sold by an authorized retailer is illegal – and is neither accepted nor tolerated by USDA.