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.

U.S. not getting kids to eat veggies, critique of claim says

The Department of Agriculture has invested seven years and several million dollars in a popular program that claims it gets students to eat significantly more fruits and vegetables. But as a recent critique of the research behind the program reveals, "significantly more" often means an amount as small as a single bite of an apple.

Senators: Federal purchase to help NY concord grape growers

Concord grape growers in New York are getting a boost from the federal government, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture planning to buy juice for nutrition programs. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand say the USDA will use up to $18 million to purchase surplus grape juice, which will help stabilize prices farmers receive.

Our Opinion: Area schools compassionate while struggling with parents’ meal debts

Schools in Central Missouri, along with the rest of the nation, have been struggling with how to deal with outstanding balances on school-provided meals. The Southern Boone school district has amassed about $30,000 in debt from outstanding meal balances.

9th Circuit rejects argument that ‘No Added Sugar’ means ‘healthy’

The relationship between "added sugar" and adverse health outcomes has been a subject of debate. When the FDA proposed adding a line for "added sugar" to the nutrition labels on packaged food , some argued that the label could send a message that naturally occurring sugar meant "healthy" and "added sugar" meant unhealthy .

Editorial: Trump names an anti-science blowhard as ‘chief…

President Trump's disdain for science apparently knows no bounds. He has now nominated climate change skeptic Sam Clovis, a talk radio host, to serve as the Department of Agriculture's chief scientist - a slap in the face of the scientific community and a disservice to those responsible for the integrity of the USDA's research.

How You Can Help Save Local Kids From Going Hungry This Summer

For many children, summer vacation evokes images of their favorite foods: backyard barbecues, fresh farmer's market produce, s'mores by the campfire and frozen delights from the ice cream truck. However, for the - homes lacking the adequate resources to purchase the food needed for an active, healthy lifestyle - summer vacation offers less relief than it does hunger and uncertainty.