(Selected research findings from FY 25)
Most children and adults consume too little fruit, with growing shares eating less than one-quarter of recommended amounts
U.S. fruit consumption has declined over the past two decades, falling by about 20 percent from its peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Despite recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–25, many people consume less fruit today than people did 20 years ago. This report compares fruit intake with Federal recommendations by identifying the share of individuals who consume at least 100 percent of the recommended amount and those who consume less than 25 percent. The authors also used data on adults to estimate a statistical model that predicts whether someone falls into one of these two groups.
WIC infant formula rebate contracts in March 2023 saved more than previous contracts
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides iron-fortified infant formula to low-income and nutritionally vulnerable infants. Federal law requires WIC State agencies to operate cost-containment systems to reduce formula costs, and most State agencies do so by using competitive bidding to award a single manufacturer’s formula as the first-choice option for participants. In return, manufacturers provide a rebate on each unit of formula purchased through WIC. For contracts in effect in March 2023, WIC State agencies, on average, received rebates that exceeded wholesale prices, resulting in greater savings compared with previous contracts. This study summarizes trends in infant formula rebate contracts and examines how factors, such as declining shares of U.S.-born infants participating in WIC, contribute to these trends.
Consumers regularly using Nutrition Facts labels have exhibited healthier dietary intakes
Packaged food labels provide consumers with nutrition information they can use to identify and purchase foods that support a healthy eating pattern. This report examines the potential dietary benefits associated with the use of packaged food labels and whether differences exist among U.S. consumers in label use. From 2017 to March 2020, 79 percent of adults reported using Nutrition Facts labels at least sometimes—a rise of about 17 percentage points from 2005 to 2006. In addition, regular users of Nutrition Facts labels had lower daily intakes of energy, fat, saturated fat, alcohol, sugars, and sodium and also consumed fewer meals prepared away from home compared with less frequent label users.
Fluid milk and yogurt product labels often include claims ranging from nutrient content to farm production methods
Food products sold at retail stores may carry a variety of claims on packaging. This study examines which claims appeared most frequently on fluid milk and yogurt product packaging, the number of claims that appeared on products, which ones appeared together, and which competed for consumers’ attention. Claims that a product is USDA Organic certified were found on 10.9 percent of fluid milk products and 8.9 percent of yogurt products in 2022. Organic products were also more likely to contain animal welfare and non-GMO claims than conventional fluid milk and yogurt products. Natural food claims were more common than organic claims and commonly appeared with hormone-free claims.
Farmers to Families delivered 177 million boxes, with counties having larger populations and higher unemployment more likely to receive them
The economic recession induced by the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic in March 2020 contributed to an increase in food hardship for millions of people. To help alleviate this hardship, USDA created the temporary Farmers to Families Food Box Program, contracting with producers, processors, and distributors to package U.S. produced agricultural commodities into food boxes for nonprofit organizations to distribute to people in need. This report uses administrative and survey data to examine whether counties characterized by greater levels of need were more likely to receive food boxes. From May 2020 to May 2021, the program delivered 177.6 million boxes, and counties with larger populations and higher unemployment rates were more likely to receive them.
USDA food assistance spending totaled $142 billion in FY 24
USDA administers 16 domestic food and nutrition assistance programs that affect the lives of millions of people and account for roughly two-thirds of the department’s annual budget. Together, these programs totaled $142.2 billion in spending in fiscal year 2024. This report provides an overview of program trends and policy changes in USDA’s largest domestic food and nutrition assistance programs based on preliminary data from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.