The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has partnered with the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) to award grant funding to five organizations that will research how to make federal child nutrition programs more accessible.
Johns Hopkins University, Trustees of Indiana University, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, Hunger Solutions Minnesota and Feeding Kentucky will collectively receive $1.1 million in funding to research participation barriers in federal child nutrition programs and identify solutions to eliminate them.
While a number of federal child nutrition programs exist, including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program and Summer Nutrition Programs, a significant number of children are not participating in these programs or do not have access to them, the USDA says.
“The Biden-Harris Administration believes all Americans deserve to have consistent and equitable access to nutritious foods, and reaching that goal starts with our children,” said Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for food, consumer and nutrition services, in a statement. “USDA and FRAC’s investments in this critical research are a major step to ensuring our programs reach all eligible children across this country and help them reach their full potential.”
Earlier this fall, the USDA also announced a partnership with the Urban School Food Alliance to help improve procurement for school nutrition programs.