The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production,promotes agricultural trade and production,works to assure food safety,protects natural resources,fosters rural communities and works to end hunger in the United States and internationally. It is headed by the secretary of agriculture,who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack,who has served since February 24,2021.
The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) is a system of nutrition recommendations from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) of the National Academies. It was introduced in 1997 in order to broaden the existing guidelines known as Recommended Dietary Allowances. The DRI values differ from those used in nutrition labeling on food and dietary supplement products in the U.S. and Canada,which uses Reference Daily Intakes (RDIs) and Daily Values (%DV) which were based on outdated RDAs from 1968 but were updated as of 2016.
In the United States,the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),formerly known as the Food Stamp Program,is a federal government program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people to help them maintain adequate nutrition and health. It is a federal aid program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS),though benefits are distributed by specific departments of U.S. states.
William Thomas Hawks, known as Bill Hawks,is an American politician,former civil servant,agricultural businessman,and founder and CEO of AgWorks Solutions,LLC.
In the United States,a commodity checkoff program promotes and provides research and information for a particular agricultural commodity without reference to specific producers or brands. It collects funds through a checkoff mechanism that is sometimes called checkoff dollars,from producers of a particular agricultural commodity and uses these funds to promote and do research on that particular commodity. As stated earlier the organizations must promote their commodity in a generic way without reference to a particular producer. Checkoff programs attempt to improve the market position of the covered commodity by expanding markets,increasing demand,and developing new uses and markets. Checkoff programs amount to $750 million per year.
Food policy is the area of public policy concerning how food is produced,processed,distributed,purchased,or provided. Food policies are designed to influence the operation of the food and agriculture system balanced with ensuring human health needs. This often includes decision-making around production and processing techniques,marketing,availability,utilization,and consumption of food,in the interest of meeting or furthering social objectives. Food policy can be promulgated on any level,from local to global,and by a government agency,business,or organization. Food policymakers engage in activities such as regulation of food-related industries,establishing eligibility standards for food assistance programs for the poor,ensuring safety of the food supply,food labeling,and even the qualifications of a product to be considered organic.
Charles Lambert was appointed Deputy Under Secretary for the United States Department of Agriculture Marketing and Regulatory Programs mission area by then-Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman on December 2,2002.
The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002,also known as the 2002 Farm Bill,includes ten titles,addressing a great variety of issues related to agriculture,ecology,energy,trade,and nutrition. This act has been superseded by the 2007 U.S. Farm Bill.
The United States deputy secretary of agriculture is the second-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Agriculture,appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The deputy secretary becomes acting secretary of agriculture in the event of the Secretary's resignation,death,or otherwise inability to fulfill the duties of the position. The deputy secretary performs whatever duties are prescribed to him or her by the secretary of agriculture. The deputy secretary of agriculture is paid at level II of the Executive Schedule.
Henrietta Holsman Fore is an American public health and international development executive who was the executive director of UNICEF till January 2022. Fore is chairman and CEO of Holsman International,a management,investment,and advisory services company. She served in three presidential appointments under President George W. Bush:Fore was the first woman Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance,the 11th Under Secretary of Management in the Department of State,and the 37th Director of the United States Mint in the U.S. Department of Treasury. She was the presidential appointee for President George H. W. Bush at the United States Agency for International Development.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide nutritional advice for Americans who are healthy or who are at risk for chronic disease but do not currently have chronic disease. The Guidelines are published every five years by the US Department of Agriculture,together with the US Department of Health and Human Services. Notably,the most recent ninth edition for 2020–25 includes dietary guidelines for children from birth to 23 months. In addition to the Dietary Guidelines per se,there are additional tools for assessing diet and nutrition,including the Healthy Eating Index (HEI),which can be used to assess the quality of a given selection of foods in the context of the Dietary Guidelines. Also provided are additional explanations regarding customization of the Guidelines to individual eating preferences,application of the Guidelines during pregnancy and infancy,the USDA Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review,information about the Nutrition Communicators Network and the MyPlate initiative,information from the National Academies about redesigning the process by which the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are created,and information about dietary guidelines from other nations.
Dairy Council of California provides free nutrition education programs to California children and adults through teachers and health professionals. In addition,the Dairy Council of California provides a Mobile Dairy Classroom,a free outdoor assembly with a live cow. The organization also provides consumers with nutrition information through a website,HealthyEating.org.
Eric Michael Bost is the former United States Ambassador to South Africa. He was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa by President George W. Bush on July 20,2006,after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 29. Bost presented his credentials to South African President Thabo Mbeki on August 15,2006. He completed his tour as ambassador on January 20,2009.
Kathleen Ann Merrigan is an American politician who served as the United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture from April 8,2009,until her resignation from this position on March 14,2013. She was the first woman to chair the Ministerial Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2011. She was the former Executive Director of the Sustainability Collaborative at the George Washington University. At GW she also led the GW Food Institute and was a Professor of Public Policy. She was named one of the "100 most influential people in the world" by Time magazine in 2010.
Rayne Pegg was the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the Department of Agriculture,and was appointed on July 6,2009,by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. In her position,she has the responsibility of overseeing AMS policies and programs. AMS administers programs that facilitate the efficient,fair marketing of U.S. agricultural products,including food,fiber,and specialty crops. She participated in the World Trade Organization and US-Korea FTA negotiations,and was previously appointed to USDA’s Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee on Fruits and Vegetables.
MyPlate is the current nutrition guide published by the United States Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion,and serves as a recommendation based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It replaced the USDA's MyPyramid guide on June 2,2011,ending 19 years of USDA food pyramid diagrams. MyPlate is displayed on food packaging and used in nutrition education in the United States. The graphic depicts a place setting with a plate and glass divided into five food groups that are recommended parts of a healthy diet. This dietary recommendation combines an organized amount of fruits,vegetables,grains,protein,and dairy. It is designed as a guideline for Americans to base their plate around in order to make educated food choices. ChooseMyPlate.gov shows individuals the variety of these five subgroups based on their activity levels and personal characteristics.
Catherine E. Woteki was the under secretary for United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Research,Education,and Economics (REE) mission area,as well as the department's chief scientist. Her responsibilities included oversight of the four agencies that comprise REE,the Agricultural Research Service (ARS),National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA),Economic Research Service (ERS),and National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS.) The National Agriculture Library and National Arboretum also fall under this mission area. Since 2021,she has been a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).
Isabelle M. Kelley was an American social worker who was the primary architect of the Federal Food Stamp Program. When she was appointed to be the director of the Division which oversaw the Food Stamp Program for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA),she became the first woman to run a national social program or lead any Division of a federal agency. She has been inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame and the USDA’s Hall of Heroes.
Alison L. Van Eenennaam is a Cooperative Extension Specialist in the Department of Animal Science at the University of California,Davis and runs the Animal Genomics and Biotechnology Laboratory. She has served on national committees such as the USDA National Advisory Committee on Biotechnology in the 21st Century (AC21) and was awarded the 2014 Borlaug CAST Communication Award. Van Eenennaam writes the Biobeef Blog.
Tambra Raye Stevenson is an African-American entrepreneur,nutrition educator,public speaker,policy advisor,inventor,and food justice activist. Stevenson founded WANDA and NativSol Kitchen. She is a Nutrition and Health Co-chair for the DC Food Policy Council,a Committee member for the National Agricultural Research,Extension,Education,and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board,and was named National Geographic Traveler of the Year in 2014. She is co-chair of Bringing It To The Table.
