Perdue to food box critics: Give the idea a chance

Perdue is defending a proposal that would cut food stamp benefits in half and replace them with a pre-ass... WASHINGTON - Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Thursday defended a proposal that would replace a portion of food stamp benefits with pre-assembled boxes of shelf-stable goods delivered to recipients' doorsteps - an idea one lawmaker called "a cruel joke." The idea was first floated last week in the Trump administration's 2019 budget proposal, tucked inside a larger plan to slash the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, by roughly $213 billion - or 30 percent- over the next 10 years.

USDA proposes replacing food stamps with delivery service, increase work requirements

The Trump administration is proposing a drastic change to how millions of people in the U.S. receive food stamps by replacing cards with an equivalent cash value with a "Blue Apron-type" delivery box of food purchased by the government. Unlike Blue Apron, which includes meat and produce, the food delivery box would include only shelf-stable foods like canned goods, rice and pasta, and other processed foods.

Whole Eggs Better for Muscle Building and Repair than Egg Whites, Researchers Find

People who consume 18 grams of protein from whole eggs or from egg whites after engaging in resistance exercise differ dramatically in how their muscles build protein, a process called protein synthesis, during the post-workout period, researchers report in a new study. Specifically, the post-workout muscle-building response in those eating whole eggs is 40 percent greater than in those consuming an equivalent amount of protein from egg whites, the team found.

Blue Apron? ‘Um, No.’ Anti-Hunger Advocates Decry…

A girl pays for her mother's groceries using Electronic Benefits Transfer tokens, more commonly known as food stamps, at a farmers' market in New York City. benefits-about 80 percent of eligible families-would receive half of their benefits in the monthly food boxes, which would contain shelf-stable milk, juice, grains, cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans and canned meat, fruits and vegetables.

Lawmakers push for federal nutrition bill for Native youth

A group of Democratic senators and representatives are pushing for federal legislation that would allow for tribes to administer free federal food and nutrition programs to school children. U.S. Sen. Tom Udall and U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, both of New Mexico, are among the bill's sponsors.

Trump Farm Bill Outline Emphasizes Work as a Food-Stamp Goal

The bill, whose cost has topped $100 billion in previous years, authorizes programs overseen by the Agriculture Department, including payments to growers of corn and soybeans and funds to prevent forest fires. A Trump administration outline for farm legislation calls for pushing some food-stamp recipients back to work, a GOP priority.

Government watchdog: Illinois fudged jobs data to get federal OK to…

A government accountability group says the state of Illinois is fudging employment data in order to allow more healthy Illinoisans to receive taxpayer-funded food stamps without having to work. The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved an Illinois Department of Human Services waiver request in October for the entire 2018 calendar year.

Senate Ag Committee Chair Applauds USDA’s Withdrawal Of Organic Production Standards

SENATE AG COMMITTEE CHAIR APPLAUDS USDA'S WITHDRAWAL OF ORGANIC PRODUCTION STANDARDS Dec. 18, 2017 Source: Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry news release After years of challenging the rule, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture's announcement of a proposed rule that would withdraw a controversial regulation that would have revised organic livestock and poultry production standards. "With USDA's wise decision to withdraw this rule, organic livestock and poultry producers can rest assured that they will not be forced out of business by another costly and burdensome regulation," said Roberts.

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With possible implications for fruit and vegetable servings, the government is seeking public input on how certain foods are counted for nutrition standards in school lunches. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is inviting comments on what it called "food crediting," the system that defines how each food item fits into a meal for the National School Lunch Program and other federal child nutrition programs.

Trump is making America work for himself

Don't like skipping work to take your child to the doctor? Republicans have done away with the Children's Health Insurance Program, which protected 9 million children whose families' insurance policies don't cover them because of a legal glitch. Never mind that the U.S. ranks 26th among developed nations on infant mortality.

More than 1 Billion in Federal Food Disaster Food Assistance Distributed

The Florida Department of Children and Families today released updates on the federal Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program operations in Florida. To date, in response to Hurricane Irma, DCF has distributed more than $1 billion in federal disaster food assistance through DSNAP, supplemental benefits, and replacements for regular SNAP customers.

USDA: Help On Way For Households Hit By Irma

USDA: HELP ON WAY FOR HOUSEHOLDS HIT BY IRMA Sep. 15, 2017 Source: USDA news release American families coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma will receive much needed nutrition relief, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced. Notably, packages of American grown and produced nutritious USDA Foods will be available across hurricane-stricken areas in Florida.

The Best Protein Pancakes You’ll Ever Make

While I'm all for indulging in an occasional Pancake Sunday ritual to feed the soul, when it comes to day to day healthy eating, I generally steer my nutrition clients away from sweet carb-centric breakfasts like pancakes. The reason? We tend to burn through those simple carbs in white flour super-quick and wind up sleepy and magically still-hungry, not long after eating despite having just devoured a mountain of flour, syrup, and butter.