nutrition

Every five years, USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services partner to provide the latest, science-based nutrition guidance to empower Americans to make dietary choices that will improve their health and lifestyles. These guidelines are a cornerstone of federal nutrition policy, which we are leveraging to promote and elevate nutrition security. Poor nutrition is a leading cause of illness in the U.S. and by focusing on the quality of what we eat, we can help reduce diet-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease that impact historically underserved and marginalized communities.

Making varsity, attending prom, getting into college or finding a job upon graduation … all things that many high school students spend time thinking about. We’d wager that very few of them also spend time thinking about where their food comes from, how nutritious it is, or how it got to their plate. Unless, that is, they happen to be a student at William Penn High School in New Castle, Delaware.

As National Nutrition Month comes to an end, remember that healthy eating is a year-round endeavor. Nutrition.gov is here to help you continue celebrating with your favorite healthy foods and traditions! Explore these simple ideas for adding nutritious and cultural foods into your eating routine.

The National School Lunch Program provides nutritious meals to about 30 million children daily in the U.S. Such success would not have been possible without the early efforts and continuing contributions of women. For over a century, women have led the way in starting programs that provide healthy foods to children from underserved communities. And what started as local efforts have grown into staple, federal programs.

As Deputy Under Secretaries, it’s not every day that we get to don aprons and make chicken enchiladas as part of our work. But during a visit to Tyler Elementary School in Virginia’s Prince William County to celebrate National Nutrition Month, that’s exactly what we did!

USDA has always worked to ensure all Americans have adequate access to food. Now, the time has come for deeper conversation about nutrition security – the consistent access to safe, healthy, affordable food essential to optimal health and well-being, regardless of race, ethnicity, or background. Nutrition security efforts work together with promoting food security, ensuring that everyone not only has enough to eat, and that those calories contribute to their overall health.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) honors those who champion racial justice, equality, and equity in the fight to end hunger. This Black History Month, we’re recognizing the late U.S. Representative Mickey Leland.

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 is collaborating with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on the Closer to Zero (C2Z) initiative. C2Z provides a crucial framework for the work that must be done to reduce heavy metal content in foods, but particularly in foods consumed by infants and children, our most vulnerable group.

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.