USDA Study Aims to Make Food Aid More Effective

by Greg Plotkin · 2009-10-22 06:00:00 UTC
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For the first time in the agency's history, the USDA will conduct a five-year analysis--the National Household Food Purchase and Acquisition Study (NHFPAS)--to document the food choices and expenditures made by families in the U.S.  The study will provide the first hard data on where households purchase food and what factors are involved in making food choices, with the results being used by USDA's Food and Nutrition Services division to make federal food aid programs more effective.

This study is partially in response to a report commissioned by Congress this past summer that measured the extent and consequences of food deserts in the U.S. The authors of the study noted the need for a massive public-education campaign if consumer demand is the driving factor behind the lack of healthy food options available in low-income communities.  I'm curious to see--through the results of the NHFPAS--if this assumption of demand is indeed accurate.

The announcement of the study also comes on the heels of a recent report that found school lunches around the country lack any meaningful calorie restriction goals, and do not include an adequate supply of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Hopefully the NHFPAS will give the USDA some key insight into how to make their National School Lunch program a more effective tool.  (Apart from recommendations that have already been made.)

More than anything else, I hope the NHFPAS finds that the mass availability of highly-processed foods made cheap by federal crop subsidies actually undermines Secretary Vilsack's goal of increasing the health of Americans, particularly in low-income communities.

Only when the USDA acknowledges its irreconcilable support for both crop subsidies and better nutrition will federal food aid programs begin to yield the benefits they are intended to.

(Photo credit: Mr. T in DC on Flickr)

Greg Plotkin currently works for Flying Pigs Farm in Shushan, NY. He is dedicated to eliminating inequalities in who has access to healthy food and alleviating hunger.
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