Food And Nutrition

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently welcomed seven new U.S. Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champions, food industry leaders that have committed to reducing food loss and waste in their U.S. operations by 50 percent by 2030.

Food loss and waste is estimated to be roughly one third of the food intended for human consumption in the United States. When food is discarded, all inputs used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, and storing discarded food are also wasted. Food loss and waste also exacerbates the climate change crisis with its significant greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. Production, transportation, and handling of food generate significant Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions and when food ends up in landfills, it generates methane, an even more potent greenhouse gas.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact everyone, many Americans grapple with food insecurity. This past year, in fact, over 29 million adults and 12 million children struggled to afford food, while more than 1 in 5 Black and Latino adults and children reported food insecurity.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service is committed to providing equitable access to food to all Americans, but racial disparities in food security still exist. With the rate of food and nutrition insecurity higher among Black, Hispanic, and Native American populations, the data bears this out.

It’s no secret that supply chain issues experienced across the country have created challenges with food accessibility. Rising COVID-19 cases along with severe weather complicated the flow of goods and services, yet USDA programs have responded with creative solutions to ensure Americans had access to healthy foods.

Happy New Year! What are your health goals for 2022? Whether you want to accomplish a fitness goal or focus on healthy eating, nutrition and exercise are key to meeting your goals. Discover tips to help you make healthy choices that fit with your lifestyle, personal needs and preferences.

Supporting families is the foundation of our mission here at USDA. So, before we close 2021, I’d like to look back at one of our programs that continues to do just that: the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC.

The holidays are a time to celebrate with family and friends. Often, those celebrations involve sharing a meal together. With Thanksgiving and the winter holidays here, it is a great time to start looking for recipe ideas! These five, healthy holiday recipes from Nutrition.gov combine vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and other nutritious ingredients in one delicious dish:

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Farmers markets not only offer some of the freshest produce and vegetative products you can find, but they also create opportunities to buy locally, and support small farmers, ranchers, and agricultural businesses. As you explore farmers markets in your area, it is important to keep food safety top of mind. Germs that cause foodborne illness can grow rapidly in temperatures between 40 and 140°F. According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), adhering to food safety guidelines may reduce the risk of foodborne illness. FSIS serves as the lead food safety agency within USDA and conducts broad range of food safety activities to ensure everyone’s food is safe.