food and nutrition

How you start your day sets the tone for the rest of your day! School breakfast programs are critical in building a healthier future for America’s children.

The 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s work is under way, and we welcome your involvement in the process to update the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines. The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) encourage public participation in the committee’s review process. You can get involved by:

After years of working in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Louisiana and Washington, I am thrilled to bring my state-level experience to my role as Senior Advisor for USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Though I now have a nationwide scope, field work will always be near and dear to my heart, and for policymakers to make the best decisions, we must remain attuned to the stories and impacts on the ground, where clients interact directly with our programs.

The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) will host the second full meeting of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on May 10, 2023. The meeting will be livestreamed for public viewing. Members of the public who wish to view the meeting may register on DietaryGuidelines.gov.

Last month, I spent three days in Michigan and while spring weather in the Great Lakes State doesn’t appeal to some, I was excited to make the trip. After all, when I was a student at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!), I volunteered at Food Gatherers. So, when asked to speak at their “The State of Our Plate” convening, I said, “Yes!” Some of the people in the room, who were classmates, continuously help federal nutrition programs operate successfully in Washtenaw County through their work to improve food access. I am deeply appreciative for their unwavering service and for showing up for families in need.

Last fall, Stacy Dean, USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Food Nutrition and Consumer Services, visited the Fondy Farmers Market, Milwaukee's 105-year-old, largest, and first farmers market in Wisconsin to accept SNAP!

Greeley-Evans School District 6 in northern Colorado was honored and excited to welcome Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to Maplewood Elementary School on March 22. The Secretary and visitors were able to see just one school of more than 30 in District 6 that provide essential health and nutrition programs to more than 22,000 students every day.

Harvesting collard greens and making whole wheat crackers from scratch is not a typical day on the job for me as the Deputy Under Secretary of USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. But I can assure you it is the perfect recipe for a great day at work! Earlier this month, I had the chance to spend the morning at Watkins Elementary School in Washington, D.C. with Admiral Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. There, we joined some incredible 5^th grade students during their FoodPrints class and witnessed first-hand the transformational power of nutrition education. And best of all—it was delicious!

On January 15-16, 2023, I attended the School Nutrition Industry Conference in San Diego. There, I met with many of our food industry partners that deliver food to school districts across the country. Food industry partners play a crucial role in producing, procuring and delivering food for our school meal programs. Despite the challenges that industry and school food service operators have encountered over the past few years, we are grateful for everything they do to deliver food and serve nutritious meals to tens of millions of children every day.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service supports indigenous health and tribal sovereignty through Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations Self-Determination Demonstration Projects.