Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-6-3) 6 pp
The Food Assistance Landscape: FY 2006 Midyear Report
USDA expenditures for its 15 food assistance programs totaled $27.7 billion during the first half of fiscal 2006 (October 2005-March 2006), a 7-percent increase over the first half of fiscal 2005. Five programs-the Food Stamp Program; the National School Lunch Program; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); the School Breakfast Program; and the Child and Adult Care Food Program-accounted for 96 percent of USDA's total expenditures for food assistance. This report uses preliminary data from USDA's Food and Nutrition Service to examine trends in the programs at the midpoint of fiscal 2006. It also summarizes a number of ERS research reports on the Food Stamp Program released in recent years that may help inform discussions of the 2007 reauthorization of the farm bill.
Keywords: Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program, FANRP, Food Stamp Program, National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, WIC, food assistance programs
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