Question

Outline and describe the adult and child nutrition programs in the United States including: assistance provided, population served, agency providing program, legislation program authorized under (if applicable), and eligibility for the following programs:

TEFAP

USDA foods

National School Meals Programs

Summer food service program

Answer 1

TEFAP:

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) provides food assistance to underprivileged Americans through the distribution of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) commodities. Under TEFAP, USDA foods are made available to states for distribution to households for use in preparing meals for home consumption or to organizations that prepare and provide meals for those in need.

Foods are distributed free, but recipients of food for home use must meet program eligibility criteria set by the state. State Agencies receive the food and oversee distribution. Local agencies, usually food banks, shelters, and soup kitchens have been designated by the state to distribute the food to eligible participants.

TEFAP provides food regularly for households in need, and is a separate program from USDA's Disaster Assistance Commodity Food Program, which provides food for mass feeding and household use of victims of natural disasters.

Training:

Please contact the Utah State Board of Education Child Nutrition Program (CNP) for training requests.

Resources:

Household Programs(External Web Content)
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).

Resources

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) /Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).

Policy

In coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) our office distributes policy memorandums to provide guidance and clarify program requirements and regulations.

Program Cost: In FY 2020, Congress appropriated $397.1 million
for TEFAP - $317.5 million to purchase food and
$79.63 million for administrative support for State and local agencies. In addition to USDA Foods purchased with appropriated funds, TEFAP distributes ‘bonus’ foods
purchased by USDA to support agriculture markets. In FY 2018, $403.2 million of such foods were made available to TEFAP.

USDA FOODS:

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The FNS is the federal agency responsible for administering the nation's domestic nutrition assistance programs. The service helps to address the issue of hunger in the United States.

The USDA Foods in Schools program supports domestic nutrition programs and American agricultural producers through purchases of 100% American-grown and -produced foods for use by schools and institutions participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), among other programs.

USDA regulations protect and promote U.S. agricultural health, administer the Animal Welfare Act, carry out wildlife damage management activities, and ensure that America's agricultural exports are protected from unjustified trade restrictions.

The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health regulatory agency responsible for ensuring that domestic and imported meat, poultry and processed egg products are safe, wholesome and correctly labeled and packaged.

List of the Agencies under USDA:

1. Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).

2. Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

3. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

4. Economic Research Service (ERS).

5. Farm Service Agency (FSA).

6. Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).

7. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

8. Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

National School Meal Program:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day.

California requires that all public schools must provide at least one nutritious meal (meeting federal standards) daily to all free or reduced priced meal eligible students. The law also requires that severe-need schools have a breakfast program for providing breakfast to low-income children.

The National School Lunch Program is an entitlement program that guarantees a set reimbursement for each qualifying meal or snack served. Low-income children are eligible to receive reduced-price or free meals at school.

Agencies that participate in the program are reimbursed from two sources: the USDA and the State of California. State reimbursement is paid for all free and reduced price meals. Federal reimbursement is paid for all free, reduced price, and paid meals. Visit Rates, Eligibility Scales, and Funding for current rates.

Summer food service program:

Summer Food Service Program

In 2019, the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) provided meals to 2.7 million children each day at 47,463 sites during the program's peak month of July. SFSP served more than 143 million meals and snacks at a cost to USDA of $481 million in fiscal year (FY) 2019, primarily during summer vacation.

SFSP sites are administered by USDA's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and include schools, camps, parks, playgrounds, housing projects, community centers, churches, and other public sites where children gather in the summer. Sites are eligible to offer free USDA-funded meals and snacks if:

• The sites operate in areas where at least half of the children come from families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level, or
• Half or more of the children served by the site meet this income criterion (see FNS's Summer Food Service Program).

Many low-income children also obtain free meals while school is out through the Seamless Summer Option of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs (see FNS's School Meals).

The Summer Food Service Program has undergone numerous amendments of its own since its conception in 1975. In 1981, “poor economic conditions” was expanded to fifty-percent of the children who qualify for free and reduced price meals, were eligible to participate.

SFSP provides an opportunity to continue a child's physical and social development while providing nutritious meals during long vacation periods from school. It helps children return to school ready to learn.

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally-funded, state-administered program.