USDA Foods

What’s shaking in USDA’s school meals programs? Delicious and nutritious food, that’s what! Healthy food does not have to be bland or boring. There’s more to creating a tasty meal than just dousing food in dressing or layering on salty sauces. It’s easy to make your dish pop without adding excess...

The saying goes that change is the only thing that is constant. That certainly is the case in the produce industry where businesses are always looking to streamline processes and introduce new products to the market. Since my agency -- the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) -- provides...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) commodity purchases play an important role in supporting American agriculture. One commodity purchasing effort - the USDA Foods Program - purchases about 2 billion pounds of nutritious, domestically produced foods each year and supplies this food to...

The following guest blog highlights the important work of Chef Brenda Thompson, RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist). Thanks to a USDA Team Nutrition grant, she developed recipes for the Chef Designed School Lunch cookbook. Chef Brenda is currently working with the Idaho State Department on the...

Schools are successfully serving more nutritious meals to America's students, and healthier meals mean healthier kids. USDA is constantly working to do everything we can to support school nutrition professionals as they work to provide kids the nutrition they need to learn and develop into healthy...

This is the second installment of the What’s Cooking? Blog Series . In honor of the Let’s Move 5 th Anniversary, and the commitment USDA shares with Let’s Move to promote healthy eating and access to healthy foods, this month-long series will high­­light the various features of the What’s Cooking...

School lunches have evolved since many of our childhood days to keep pace with new dietary guidelines and school meal patterns, but one food has been an enduring component: chicken. The popular protein graces the center of the plate in a variety of forms and flavors, and the new USDA Foods...

Cooking knowledge, proper planning, and access to healthy foods are essential ingredients to healthy diets. I witnessed this firsthand when I traveled to the food distribution center of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, one of the 20 Indian Tribal Organizations that received funding in 2014...

The following guest blog is part of our Cafeteria Stories series, highlighting the efforts of hard working school nutrition professionals who are dedicated to making the healthy choice the easy choice at schools across the country. We thank them for sharing their stories! Whitefish Public Schools...

Ensuring our Nation’s children and families in need have access to healthy meals is a priority at USDA and that promise is of particular emphasis during times of disaster or emergency. Throughout National Preparedness Month this September, USDA recognizes the importance of being ready and wants the...