OrangeSlices Fed Science, R&D’s Post

In some of our nation's rural communities—including the places that grow America's crops—regular access to fresh and nutritious food may not be a guarantee. Grocery stores can be few and far between, and some families might need to travel dozens of miles, or even hours, to access the food we all need to thrive. Federal nutrition programs like The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) help close meal gaps for rural communities—and we have a chance to bolster these programs in the next farm bill. Tell lawmakers to prioritize rural communities by passing a strong farm bill! 📣 Take Action: https://bit.ly/3VUf4CU 🧡 Share this post to help fuel the movement to end hunger!

Hunger Free Vermont’s Executive Director Anore Horton and Vermont Foodbank’s CEO John Sayles were featured in VTDigger discussing the status of hunger in Vermont and the importance of action. “A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report on food insecurity and hunger reinforces what so many people in Vermont already know and are experiencing firsthand — affording food for ourselves and our families is becoming much harder. In Vermont, when the state or federal government invests in meaningful support, there is a positive impact on food security. And when neighbors are struggling, we must act.” To read more, visit the link below. https://lnkd.in/gMxXpN6A

It’s inspiring to hear about how Rebecca Piazza and her team are bringing to life section 5 of the Customer Experience and Service Delivery Executive Order. That section, “government-wide Actions to Improve Customer Experience” is one of the hardest ones to achieve, IMHO. The team is: 1. Per Section 5, working with SSA and IRS to "provide streamlined ways for people to access benefits to which they are entitled no matter where they are delivered from" using data matching across agencies to inform Medicaid and SNAP recipients about WIC and possible eligibility 2. Applying lessons learned from examples of existing programs that use similar logic or eligibility rules. I really appreciated the example of automatic eligibility for Medicaid recipients to receive free or subsidized school meals. I’d be curious to hear more about how analyzing that program is helping the USDA team gain insights and efficiencies I'm wishing Rebecca and her team continued success in implementing the EO (especially section 5!) and with the Summer EBT program. Go team! Kudos to Jason Miller for asking sharp, delivery-focused questions.

A short while ago the EFSA CONTAM Panel released its first ever guidance document how to carry out risk assessment for detoxification processes in feed: https://buff.ly/480wEaM. 📃 Directive 2002/32/EC provides that marketed animal feeds cannot contain levels of undesirable substances exceeding the EU maximum levels. However, it is possible to use acceptable detoxification processes on these feeds provided that the detoxified feed is safe for animals and public health, and that the characteristics of the feed are not adversely altered by the detoxification process. The EFSA CONTAM Panel assesses the feed detoxification processes upon the submission of a dossier. 🤝 We at Medfiles can help you to make such a dossier. One of our assets in this work is that we have a former EFSA CONTAM Unit staff member in our team. With her 10 years’ long EFSA knowledge she knows not only about feed risk assessments but about food risk assessments, too. Find out more about our feed expertise and services on our website: https://buff.ly/4boV68L #feed #animalfeed #riskassessment

"In the current edition of a regular joint bi-yearly report, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) warn that acute food insecurity is likely to deteriorate further in 18 hunger hotspots... from June to October 2024" Join us in NYC or on Zoom for our hybrid roundtable to learn more about the challenges facing the Global Food Value Chain and how global business leaders are facing them: https://bit.ly/baratta6-17 #globalfoodsupplychain #globalbusiness #foodsecurity

“Food insecurity is at an all-time high and still on the rise in Southeastern Minnesota. We know this because Channel One distributed 77% more food in April than we did last year, and our food shelf, the second largest in the state, is experiencing steep increases in demand year-over-year, including a doubling of new households seeking assistance. This is after Minnesotans visited food shelves more than 7.5 million times in 2023, the most on record. It is unsustainable, and without state and federal support, more of our neighbors will go hungry. For that reason, we need a strong, bipartisan Farm Bill that invests in proven anti-hunger programs at the federal level, including both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act summary released by Chair Stabenow last week acknowledges the benefits of both programs by keeping SNAP whole and making much needed investments in TEFAP. We encourage our federal delegation to do whatever they can as negotiations continue to prioritize these programs, which will help us fight hunger throughout Greater Minnesota.” -Virginia Witherspoon Merritt, Channel One Regional Food Bank executive director

This week, we led focus groups in Raleigh, NC, and Columbia, SC. In Raleigh, we gathered staff from the NC Dept. of Agriculture with NC TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) to discuss TEFAP policy, distribution, and administration. In Columbia, SC, we held the same discussion with South Carolina food banks to compare the two states. ⁠ ⁠ This is part of our work with Feeding the Carolinas on the TEFAP Community of Practice grant from Feeding America as we look for areas where state TEFAP policy and administration can be improved. ⁠ ⁠ According to Feeding the Carolinas, 2.3 million North and South Carolinians face hunger annually. We're honored to partner together as they seek to provide a healthy, adequate, and consistent food supply to their communities.⁠ ⁠ How can focus groups improve your organization's efforts? DM us to book a free consultation!⁠ ⁠ #focusgroup #focusgroups #womeninresearch #femaleowned #datadriven #datadrivendecisions #datadriveninsights #datadrivensuccess #researcher #uxresearch #researchmethods #marketresearch #evaluation

Tell your member of Congress how the EAT Local Foods Act would benefit your community and ask them to support its inclusion in the next farm bill! Read more about the EAT Local Foods Act: https://lnkd.in/eHJuJEr5 National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition #farmbill #sustainablefoodsystems #foodasmedicine #nutritionsecurity

In Senegal, many children do not receive the nutrition they need to grow strong and stay focused in school. The USDA McGovern-Dole International Food for Education & Child Nutrition Program addresses challenges to nutrition, health, and literacy in concert through community-led and community-based solutions. In Senegal's Saint-Louis region, my colleagues at Counterpart International partner with the government, school systems, & local farming economies to establish sustainable systems that reduce hunger and encourage good health and hygiene practices, keeping children healthy and in school. https://lnkd.in/gnrmxpDu

The federal government's Standing Committee on Agriculture have released their report into food security and while it appears to be a comprehensive report, I can't help feeling that it falls short in encouraging meaningful integration and action on biosecurity in food production. https://lnkd.in/g5S9Y4ZC Biosecurity is covered from page 122 and there are two relevant recommendations for the government: (i) to develop a public education campaign on stakeholder's biosecurity responsibilities (see Recommendation 27); and (ii) to ensure biosecurity funding reflects responsibilities and benefits of biosecurity for all stakeholders (see Recommendation 28). #foodsecurity #biosecurity