USDA administers 14 domestic food-assistance programs - Department of Agriculture's Food and Consumer Service

USDA's Food and Consumer Service (FCS, formerly the Food and Nutrition Service) administers 14 domestic food-assistance programs. FCS works in partnership with the States in all its programs. States determine most administrative details regarding distribution of food benefits and eligibility of participants, and FCS provides funding to cover most of the States' administrative costs. State and local agencies administer the programs.

* The Food Stamp Program is the cornerstone of USDA's food-assistance programs, serving an average of 27 million people each month in 1994. The program issues monthly benefits through coupons or Electronic Benefits Transfer (recipients receive a plastic card much like a credit card). Benefit are redeemable at retail foodstones.

* The Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations and the Trust Territories provides monthly food package for Native Americans who live on or near Indian reservations and for Pacific Islanders who choose not to participate in the Food Stamp Program. In 1994, about 115,000 people participated in the program each month.

* The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) improves the health of low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women and their infants and children up to 5 years old. WIC served a monthly average of 6.4 million women, infants, and children in 1994.

* The WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program provides WIC participants with increased access to fresh produce. WIC participants are given coupons to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at authorized local farmers markets. Eleven States and about half a million people participated in this program in 1994.

* The Commodity Supplemental Food Program is a direct food-distribution program with a target population similar to WIC, and it also serves the elderly. In 1994, about 360,000 participated.

* The National School Lunch Program serves lunches to about 25 million students every school day in 93,000 schools. More than half of these children receive the meal free or at a reduced price.

* Some 5.8 million children participated in the School Breakfast Program in 1994. Over 60 percent of schools participating in the school lunch program offer breakfast to eligible schoolchildren. About 83 percent of school breakfast are served free.

* The Special Milk Program provides milk for children in schools, summer camps, and childcare institutions that have no federally supported meal program.

* The Child and Adult Care Food Program provides cash and commodities for meals served in child and adult daycare centers, and family and group daycare homes for children. In 1994, over 2 million children and adults participated in this program.

* In 1994, about 2.3 million low-income children received free meals during school vacation periods through the Summer Food Service Program.

* The Nutrition Program for the Elderly provides cash and commodities for meals served to senior citizens. In 1994, some 924,000 meals were served each day under this program.

* Another FCS program provides Food Distribution to Charitable Institutions, Soup Kitchens, and Food Banks. Food donated to institutions come from agricultural surpluses acquired by USDA as part of its price stabilization and surplus removal activities. The kinds and quantities of foods donated vary, depending on crop and market conditions.

* Alternative Nutrition Assistance Programs for Puerto Rico and the Northern Marianas provide benefits through a block grant program. These two territories now provide to participants cash and coupons rather than food stamps or food distribution.

* In 1994, the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) provided States with $40 million in administrative funds to distribute $80 million worth of USDA commodities - plus commodities donated by the private sector - to the needy.

COPYRIGHT 1995 U.S. Department of Agriculture
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