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.
Healthy Eating Index scores range from 0 to 100 and are a measure of diet quality used to assess how well a set of foods aligns with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A higher score is ideal. The FDPIR Food Package scores an 84. This is higher than the average U.S. diet, which scores a 59.
The Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative seeks to improve the nutritional quality of school meals through food systems transformation, SFA recognition and technical assistance, the generation and sharing of innovative ideas and tested practices.
Check out this database to access vendor-specific product information for all direct delivered USDA Foods for the National School Lunch Program.
Provides information on food items available through TEFAP that may be acceptable to halal-observant communities.
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.
This information is provided to assist state agencies, school food authorities, and local schools with the selection of a software program that has been USDA-approved for nutrient analyses required in the school meal programs.
FNS hosted a second webinar to provide program stakeholders with additional information on supporting kosher observant communities through TEFAP.
The Nutrition Education and Local Food Access Dashboard is comprised of public data. The goal of the dashboard is to provide a county-level visualization of FNS nutrition support, specifically nutrition education and local food access, alongside other metrics related to hunger and nutritional health.
Answers to some of the frequently asked questions about how TEFAP can support cultural and religious practices around food, particularly those serving kosher and halal observant communities.