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Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced final changes to increase access to healthy food choices for participants in the SNAP.  The provisions in this rule require authorized retail establishments to offer a larger inventory and variety of healthy food options. 

Today, FNS introduced its first ever web-based school meals program application prototype to streamline the process of applying for school meals and improve the user experience.

USDA today announced the availability of up to $16.7 million in competitive grant funding to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by families and households participating in SNAP. 

Today, the USDA joins youth, parents, schools, communities and partners across the country in honoring National School Lunch Week 2016, a time to reflect on the positive steps our nation has taken to make nutrition a priority in every U.S. school. This also coincides with the month-long celebration of Farm to School Month, which recognizes efforts to bring local foods into schools and onto students' trays.

FNS today awards nearly $2 million in funding to six states and territories to help improve retention of children in WIC. These funds will enable WIC state agencies to better fulfill their  crucial role in ensuring young children up to age five have a foundation for nutritional success.

The USDA is seeking retailer volunteers for a two-year, nationwide pilot to enable SNAP participants to purchase their groceries online. The 2014 Farm Bill mandated a pilot be conducted to test the possibility of allowing retail food stores to accept SNAP benefits through online transactions.

The USDA today announced that up to $5 million in grant funds is available to help schools create or strengthen farm to school programs this school year. 

USDA today announced more than $500,000 in grants to academic and nonprofit organizations who will work to make farmers markets and farm stands more accessible to SNAP participants.

Secretary Tom Vilsack today issued a statement on the release of the USDA Economic Research Service analysis, Household Food Security in the United States in 2015, which points to the lowest figures on record for food insecurity among children.

FNS today awarded $6.7 million in grants during the back to school season to expand and enhance training for school nutrition and child care professionals working to support healthy environments for our nation’s youth. 

USDA today announced the organizations selected to participate in a nationwide pilot designed to improve access to groceries for homebound elderly and disabled persons participating in SNAP. Nearly one in five SNAP participants is either elderly or disabled and therefore may face unique obstacles to obtaining healthy food at the grocery store.

FNS today awarded $5 million in grants to state agencies and community-based organizations to improve the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and implement modernization initiatives. Organizations from seven states were selected for these competitive grants, including Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, California and Washington. 

Today, Secretary Tom Vilsack urged all state health officers to use the resources and opportunities provided through their WIC agencies in their substance misuse prevention efforts. Vilsack made this announcement at a town hall in Missouri to discuss the opioid epidemic, which accounted for more than 28,000 deaths nationwide in 2014.

Today, the Obama Administration is announcing four final rules that implement important provisions of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act building on the progress schools across the country have already made in the improved nutritional quality of meals served in schools.

Today Agriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon announced that USD) will provide extra nutrition support to Flint, Michigan to help low-income residents affected by lead contamination in the city’s water.  In response to a request from the state, FNS will provide additional food to recipients of The Emergency Food Assistance Program in the Flint area to help address the ongoing crisis.  

USDA today awarded $16.8 million in competitive grants to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants increase their purchases of fruits and vegetables. The funding comes from the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Secretary Tom Vilsack and Education Secretary John B. King, Jr. joined students and other stakeholders at Robert E. Lee Elementary School in Petersburg, Virginia to celebrate the start of the USDA summer meal programs.

Today, Under Secretary Kevin Concannon announced a new publication that will help enhance access to healthy foods for residents of low-income neighborhoods. The Healthy Corner Stores Guide provides information, strategies and resources for organizations interested in making healthy foods and beverages available in corner stores within their communities.

Results of USDA's report posted today on the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer for Children demonstration project confirm a significant reduction in food insecurity among participating families. The project tested two benefit levels – $30 and $60 per month per child – both of which were found to reduce the most severe form of food insecurity and led to positive nutritional outcomes.

Undersecretary Kevin Concannon today announced that approximately $2 million in grants is available to help state agencies retain young children in the WIC program.