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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.
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The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a program that evolved out of surplus commodity donation efforts begun by the USDA in late 1981 to dispose of surplus foods held by the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). This program was explicitly authorized by the Congress in 1983 when funding was provided to assist states with the costs involved in storing and distributing the commodities. The program originally was entitled the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program when authorized under the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983. The program was renamed to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in 1990.
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In the United States, school meals are provided either at no cost or at a government-subsidized price, to students from low-income families. These free or subsidized meals have the potential to increase household food security, which can improve children's health and expand their educational opportunities. A study of a free school meal program in the United States found that providing free meals to elementary and middle school children in areas characterized by high food insecurity led to increased school discipline among the students.
CalFresh is the California implementation of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp program, which provides financial assistance for purchasing food to low-income California residents.
References
- ↑ "USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food (monthly reports)". USDA. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ↑ "Thrifty Food Plan, 2006" (PDF). USDA. April 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- ↑ "To Support Food Security, the Thrifty Food Plan Increase Should Be Protected in the 2023 Farm Bill". Center for American Progress . 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
- ↑ "The Low-Cost, Moderate-Cost, and Liberal Food Plans, 2007" (PDF). USDA. November 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
- Report for Congress. Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition. The Library of Congress . Retrieved January 3, 2025.
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