FNS Documents & Resources

The market basket costs in the Thrifty Food Plan, 2021 apply to the contiguous 48 states and the District of Columbia. By law, the USDA must make cost adjustments to the Thrifty Food Plan to reflect the cost of food in Alaska and Hawaii. The Thrifty Food Plan Cost Estimates for Alaska and Hawaii report provides updated estimates of the June 2022 cost of the reevaluated Thrifty Food Plan in Alaska and Hawaii.

The USDA food plans represent a healthy diet at four different cost levels. Each food plan specifies quantities of food and beverage categories that can be purchased and prepared to make healthy meals and snacks at home.

In September 2020, in response to a Congressional Directive, the USDA contracted with Insight Policy Research to conduct the Measuring the Cost of a Thrifty Food Plan in Puerto Rico study. The purpose of the study is to provide CNPP with options for measuring the cost of a TFP in Puerto Rico.

The Thrifty Food Plan, 2021 was released on Aug. 16, 2021. The TFP represents the cost of a nutritious, practical, cost-effective diet.

This webinar is for states who are currently using, or are interested in applying for, the USDA DoD Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). We share tools and best practices to assist state agencies, SFSP sponsors, and SFSP sites in using their resources to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to SFSP participants during the summer months.  

The list contains the contact information for each state administering the unprocessed fruit and vegetable pilot, as well as the main USDA contacts.

The Food Plans represent a nutritious diet at four different cost levels. The nutritional bases of the Food Plans are the 1997-2005 Dietary Reference Intakes, 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and 2005 MyPyramid food intake recommendations. In addition to cost, differences among plans are in specific foods and quantities of foods. Another basis of the Food Plans is that all meals and snacks are prepared at home. For specific foods and quantities of foods in the Food Plans, see Thrifty Food Plan, 2006 (2007) and The Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans, 2007 (2007). All four Food Plans are based on 2001-02 data and updated to current dollars by using the Consumer Price Index for specific food items.

The Food Plans represent a nutritious diet at four different cost levels. 

The food plans represent a nutritious diet at four different cost levels. 

The revised policy memo requires supplemental reporting from processors and requires state verification of credits provided by the processor to the SFA. Processors wishing to continue participation in the pilot will have to sign the attached revised NPA amendment to extend their participation in the pilot.