Participation in the federal food stamp program, officially known as the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, significantly reduced poverty levels during the recession, according to a new USDA study.
Using food stamps to buy sugary soft drinks could be banned in New York City if a proposal submitted to the USDA by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor David Paterson is accepted.
A study has found that Food Stamp participants are more likely to be obese that those not on the program, suggesting that changes need to be made in order to encourage better food choices, the authors claim.
President Obama made two appointments within the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday, to run the department’s public nutrition programs, and to oversee US agricultural research and education.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is to invest almost $2m in
evaluating its food and nutrition assistance programs, in an effort
to enhance these on the back of advice from external researchers.