nutrition

Big things are going on in the Southwest region of the U.S. when it comes to feeding families.  USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service partnered with the No Kid Hungry Campaign lead by Share Our Strength and Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe. Earlier this month, we met to discuss strategies to help this campaign meet its goal of increasing participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Summer Meals in Arkansas.  Unfortunately, there is a lot of work to be done as we are seeing more and more people struggling to put food on the table but through our partnerships we hope to make a difference one community at a time.

Cross posted from the Let's Move! blog.

An integral part of the Let’s Move! initiative is gaining a critical boost when it comes to solving the challenge of childhood obesity and improving the health and nutrition of all Americans.  Today, USDA is proud to announce new investments that will help connect farms with families at the local level by providing grants to local farmers markets, producers, and farmers. Farmers markets across the country help families make the right choice when it comes to fresh produce and foods by bringing their harvest right to our communities.

The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City recently hosted an “Agricultural Sustainability Forum” at the legendary American Royal facilities in the historic Kansas City Stockyards district.  Among the featured speakers was USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan.

In early October, USDA’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships was honored to host a dozen Latino faith leaders to our “Tuve Hambre y Me Diste de Comer” (“For I was Hungry and You Fed Me”) consultation on improving Latino outreach. USDA studies show that 1 out of 4 Hispanic households in the US are food insecure and that this number is only growing. The situation is well-known among these leaders whose congregations and organizations are on the front lines of serving those threatened by hunger.

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from the USDA's rich science and research portfolio.

As adults, we have heard for years about the value of adding fish to our diets. But have you ever stopped to consider the health benefits a diet rich in seafood can offer your children?

Ending childhood obesity within a generation is the central goal of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative. We know achieving this goal requires all of us to work together - parents, teachers, schools, chefs, community leaders, Federal, State and local elected officials and our children - there’s a role for each of us to play.

On Friday, August 27, 2010, I was in New Orleans to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation to the Gulf Coast.  The event was held at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana.  It was a hot and humid morning as we began the assembly of emergency food boxes alongside Archbishop Gregory Michael Aymond, food bank executive director Natalie Jayroe and other notable citizens of New Orleans, the Gulf Coast and federal officials.

Earlier this month, USDA Rural Development Area Director Lyndon Nichols, Helen Rush-Lloyd, Constituent Services Director from U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney’s office, and I delivered 80lbs of donations to a local Gloucester, Mass. food pantry named "The Open Door." This food pantry has a slogan "Feeding People. Changing Lives."

Written by Sarah Alligood, Health Technician, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion

A little over one week remains in the Apps for Healthy Kids voting period, and so far, over 11,500 votes have been tallied. In addition, support for the initiative continues to amplify, with the number of supporters reaching nearly 30,000! Of the 95 games and tools in the application gallery, favorites are beginning to emerge, but there is still time to vote for the apps that you think are most deserving of the $4,500 Popular Choice Awards.

Written by Ann Tutwiler, Coordinator of the Global Food Security Initiative

This May, the U.S. government announced the Feed the Future (FTF) initiative to stem global hunger and increase food security, marking a new direction in food aid and assistance. The whole-of-government approach links USDA’s technical assistance efforts with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the White House, the State Department, and on a broader level with partner countries, multilateral institutions, private voluntary organizations, donors, and civil societies around the world.  Secretary Vilsack appointed me to be the USDA Feed the Future coordinator, and my job is to align USDA programs and resources to help achieve sustainable global food security.