TEFAP Alliance Blog

Foodlinks America - November 9, 2005

In this issue:

Same News; New Name
Agriculture Spending Finalized for 2006
Congress Considering Deep Budget Cuts
Hunger Numbers Rise Again
Food Programs Growing at Record Pace
Community Food Projects Grants Announced
Food Stamp Briefs
Dry Milk Giveaway Extended
Commodity Replacement Policy Publicized
Reports from the Emergency Food Network
Obesity Round-Up
Small Bites

Foodlinks America is published 24 times a year by California Emergency Foodlink and distributed by Weinberg & Vauthier Consulting, 6412 CR 116, Burnet, Texas 78611; Zy Weinberg and Barbara Vauthier, Editors; email: bvauthier@earthlink.net.

Same News; New Name

Welcome to Foodlinks America, the new newsletter that combines the best of two earlier publications – the CFNP Report and the TEFAP Washington Update – written by the same crew that has done both, Editors Zy Weinberg and Barbara Vauthier. Expect to see more emphasis on emergency feeding efforts in this new publication.

Foodlinks America is a biweekly email newsletter that will be published 24 times a year and is available free of charge to non-profit, public, and faith-based organizations. Foodlinks America is published by California Emergency Foodlink, a statewide and regional food distribution organization dedicated to meeting the needs of hungry people.

Foodlinks America will include coverage of: federal budget, appropriations, and legislation matters; the workings of federal and state nutrition assistance programs with an emphasis on program rules, regulations, and administrative actions; emergency food and food banking efforts at the national and local levels; community food and nutrition projects; innovative activities in the food security and anti-hunger world; and the popular feature “Small Bites.”

So, say hello to Foodlinks America and pass it on to your friends and colleagues. We do not copyright the newsletter so you can share it freely with others. But we ask that regular readers contact us to receive the newsletter directly so we can more accurately count our readership.

Our aim is to keep you informed in order to help you do even better the important work you are doing. And let us hear from you; reader comments and story ideas are most welcome.

Agriculture Spending Finalized for 2006

Fiscal year 2006 funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs was approved in early November and sent to President Bush for his signature. In the legislation (House Resolution or H.R. 2744), most programs are slated for increases in spending to keep pace with growing caseloads and food price inflation.

Congress allocated $40.7 billion for the Food Stamp Program, an amount that includes a $3 billion reserve designed to cover unanticipated increases in participation. The new food stamp funding level represents a $5.6 billion – or 15.8 percent – increase over fiscal year 2005.

A total of $12.7 billion is appropriated for child nutrition programs, an increase of $879 million over last year. The child nutrition category is broken down into $7.4 billion for the School Lunch Program, $2.2 billion for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, $2.1 billion for school breakfasts, and $300 million for the Summer Food Service Program. Six million dollars was added to the Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program to allow six new states – Connecticut, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin – to offer free produce to school children for snacks throughout the school day. Nutrition education activities under the Team Nutrition program were level funded at $10 million.

The WIC Program was allocated nearly $5.3 billion, which includes funds to restore a contingency reserve of $125 million that can be tapped to offset the cost of increased participation and/or rising food costs. Congress provided $114.3 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, consisting of $108.3 million in cash and a $6 million food inventory.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) was unchanged, with $140 million included for commodity purchases and $50 million provided for storage and distribution costs. The legislation continues a provision that allows USDA to transfer up to $10 million from the food category to help meet distribution needs.

Key farmers’ market programs were maintained at fiscal year 2005 levels, with $20 million provided for the WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program and $15 million allotted for the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. Funding of $1 million was provided to initiate the Farmers’ Market Promotion Program, which was authorized in 2002 but never before provided funds.

Although funding for USDA programs has been decided, such programs could still endure cuts during fiscal 2006, depending on the outcome of budget reconciliation (see story below), which may mandate savings in entitlement programs next year. Across-the-board reductions in discretionary spending for 2006 are also still being considered by Congress as a means of addressing budget targets and deficit reduction.

In addition, fiscal year funding levels for two small but important food programs administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – the Community Food and Nutrition Program (CFNP) and the Nutrition Program for the Elderly – have yet to be decided by House-Senate negotiators.

Congress Considering Deep Budget Cuts

Under the five-year budget plan that Congress narrowly endorsed in April 2005, approximately $35 billion in cuts were to be made in entitlement programs in an effort to help reduce the federal deficit. However, as House and Senate leaders try to fill in the outline of where those savings will be made, Republican leaders have issued a call for even deeper spending reductions under what is known as a “budget reconciliation” process.

In a mostly party-line vote on October 28, 2005, the Senate approved a reconciliation package that would trim federal spending on Medicare, Medicaid, and other entitlement programs by $39.1 billion over five years. Although the Senate plan does not directly cut nutrition assistance programs, it would restrict other services for low-income people. “It hurts the poor and the middle class and makes all the rewards to those people already fat as a result of our system,” commented Harry Reid (D-NV), the Senate Minority Leader.

The House is now considering $54 billion in savings in legislation that may come to the floor this week. Among the House provisions are $844 million in food stamp cuts that would affect an estimated 300,000 people by eliminating categorical eligibility for persons receiving welfare cash assistance and restricting eligibility for legal immigrants. Although other food assistance programs are not directly targeted in the House bill, the food stamp changes would result in 40,000 low-income children losing their eligibility for free school lunches.

The proposed food stamp cuts have generated significant criticism. “If there are cuts to be made, why should we make them on food stamps?” said Representative David Scott (D-GA). “This is the meanest cut of all.” Added G.K. Butterfield, a Democratic Representative from North Carolina, “That is not moral; that is not American. This is not a giveaway program that results in windfall profits.”

One positive provision in the pending House bill would provide an additional $12 million for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). The supplemental funds would be designated specifically for commodity purchases for food banks in states with areas that received a disaster declaration during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as surrounding states, to replenish stocks.

Hunger Numbers Rise Again

The federal government’s official count of hungry Americans increased in 2004 for the fifth consecutive year, according to statistics released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on October 28, 2005. A total of 38.2 million people in 13.5 million households – 11.9 percent of all households – were food insecure last year, USDA reported. The number grew by two million people last year alone, and has increased by seven million since 2000.

The food insecure numbers included 13.9 million children, or 19 percent of all children in the U.S. The prevalence of food insecurity with hunger rose from 3.5 percent of all households to 3.9 percent, which translates into 4.4 million households and nearly 12.5 million people. USDA also reported that, “Rates of food insecurity were substantially higher for households with incomes below the federal poverty line, households headed by single women with children, and for Black and Hispanic households.”

Food insecurity was more likely to be found in the South and the West. The ten states with the highest rates of food insecurity were: Texas, New Mexico, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Utah, South Carolina, Arkansas, Idaho, North Carolina, and Arizona, in that order. In Texas, more than 16 percent of households were food insecure.

For more information, go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/err11/.

Food Programs Growing at Record Pace

Spending for the 15 domestic food assistance programs reached $25.9 billion in the first half of fiscal year 2005 (October 2004 to March 2005), an 11 percent increase compared to a year earlier. If the trend continues, expenditures for the fiscal year will exceed the record $46.2 billion spent in fiscal year 2004, according to The Food Assistance Landscape – September 2005, a semi-annual report issued recently by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Five programs – the Food Stamp Program, School Lunch Program, WIC Program, School Breakfast Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program – accounted for 95 percent of USDA spending on food assistance.

Food stamps accounted for the bulk of the expenditures – $15.3 billion or 59 percent of the total – representing a 17 percent increase over the previous year. Food stamp participation averaged 25.5 million people per month, with an average monthly benefit of $92.73, about $1.03 per meal worth of assistance.

An average of 29.7 million children participated in the School Lunch Program daily, a two percent increase over the previous year. Expenditures for the six months totaled $4.8 billion, rising four percent over fiscal 2004 levels. The School Breakfast Program served an average of 9.3 million children daily at a cost of $1.1 billion for the six-month period, a growth in spending of seven percent from fiscal 2004.

WIC Program costs grew by four percent over the first half of fiscal year 2004 to $2.5 billion, with eight million women and children served each month. An average monthly benefit of $37.64 worth of food was provided. Child and Adult Food Program spending reached $1.1 billion for the period covered, a growth rate of five percent, with 923 million meals served.

For additional information, see: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/eib6-1/.

Community Food Projects Grants Announced

Grant awards totaling $4.8 million for 27 Community Food Projects (CFPs) in 19 states were announced on November 3, 2005 by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns. The funds, provided to non-profit organizations, are designed to support projects that meet the food needs of low-income people and increase the self-reliance of communities in addressing their own food, farm, and nutrition issues.

Multi-purpose CFP grants of up to $300,000 are provided for projects of one to three years’ duration. Federal funds must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis and projects must strive to become self-sustaining after federal funding has ended.

Fiscal year 2005 grantees included:

Janus Youth Programs, Portland, OR, which received $270,000 to expand its Food Works program for youth gardening and entrepreneurship;

Seven Generations Ahead, Oak Park, IL, was awarded $165,000 to organize farmers to supply local food for school lunches to a predominantly Latino student population;

Kansas Rural Center, Whiting, KS, received $120,000 to establish a statewide food policy council to examine food systems and make recommendations for improvements; and

Cultivating Community, Portland, ME, was awarded a grant of $230,000 to establish a barter-based community supported agriculture system.

For additional details see: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/releases/fs/cfp_fs.doc.

Food Stamp Briefs

Participation increases continue. Even before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused a surge in food stamp participation as thousands of displaced households qualified for disaster food stamps, program enrollment was on the rise. The national caseload rose by 56,531 people in July 2005 to 25,564,100, for an over-the-year increase of nearly 1.16 million people. The number of people participating in the Food Stamp Program in July 2005 was 8.69 million higher than in July 2000, when program participation reached its lowest point in the last decade.

Food stamp benefits and eligibility levels updated. Income eligibility and benefit allotment levels in the Food Stamp Program were recently revised to reflect increases in the cost of living. The changes took effect at the beginning of federal fiscal year 2006 on October 1, 2005. A four-person household with no net income now can receive $506 in monthly benefits. Additional information and computations may be found at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/applicant_recipients/fs_Res_Ben_Elig.htm.

Who’s getting food stamps?: Over half of all food stamp recipients are children and the typical participating household has only $643 a month in gross income and just $143 in resources. Those are a few of the facts about food stamp participants revealed in the recently released U.S. Department of Agriculture publication, “Characteristics of Food Stamp Households: Fiscal Year 2004.” The report is available at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/MENU/Published/FSP/FILES/Participation/2004CharacteristicsSum.pdf.

Millions in cities still missing out: “The Food Stamp Program is a critically important but very underutilized resource for urban America,” concluded the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) in a city-by-city analysis released in September 2005. “While millions of needy people are receiving food stamp benefits, many millions more in our urban areas are eligible but left unserved,” said FRAC president Jim Weill. “In the 25 urban areas [examined,] we estimate that $2.1 billion a year in food stamps for more than 2.9 million eligible non-participants went unclaimed,” Weill added. To learn more, go to: http://www.frac.org/Press_Release/09.27.05.html.

Dry Milk Giveaway Extended

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is donating an additional 25 million pounds of nonfat dry milk (NDM) to local, statewide, and national charities to help care for the needy and provide hurricane relief. The milk will be distributed under USDA’s National Nonprofit Humanitarian Initiative (NNHI), which started in September 2003. USDA has extended the NNHI through December 31, 2005.

Under the NNHI, 42 non-profit organizations have been approved to receive NDM for emergency food distribution purposes. Organizations in the Initiative include the Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee, California Emergency Foodlink, and America’s Second Harvest.

Besides direct distribution to the needy, some of the milk is used in manufacturing dairy products, such as ready-to-eat pudding, milk-based soups, and nutritional bars. Another purpose of the Initiative is to reduce surplus government stocks of NDM.

For further information, go to: http://www.usda.gov/…contentid=2005/10/0452.xml.

Commodity Replacement Policy Publicized

Commodities from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) have been a critical component in feeding the millions of people displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, but their use has diminished regular TEFAP stocks needed to feed the poor on an ongoing basis.

To cope with this problem, affected state and local TEFAP distribution agencies are advised to review recent revisions to the Commodity Program Disaster Manual published by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

An October 19, 2005 memorandum notes that “FNS will replace all USDA commodities removed from inventory at the state and local level that are used for approved disaster congregate feeding or FNS-approved household distribution” following a disaster declaration. The memo also outlines “procedures … to obtain replacements for commodities lost or made unfit for human consumption as a result of the disasters.”

The memo may be viewed at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/guidance/CommodityReplacements_NatDisasters.pdf.

Reports from the Emergency Food Network

The September 22, 2005 issue of the Philadelphia City Paper featured a cover story titled “The Food Maze,” chronicling the difficulties low-income people have in finding food on a daily basis. Here are some excerpts:

“The Philadelphia Health Management Corporation recently conducted a survey finding that 254,000 people in the Delaware Valley have cut back on meals because of inadequate resources. But keeping count of people in need is technically difficult and hopelessly politicized.”

“In any case, there are more than enough of them. They can be found in line at the food pantries and soup kitchens that dot low-income neighborhoods like corner stores, where their presence stands as proof that society’s first defense against hunger, government programs like WIC and food stamps, are not leading them out of the maze.”

“It is in turning to the soup kitchens and food cupboards that someone truly enters the bowels of the emergency food maze….There are now hundreds of [cupboards and kitchens] in Philadelphia, many run by churches, and, in particular, black churches.”

“On Wednesday mornings, a line forms outside Saint Paul’s. Many guests come from within the neighborhood, but [the church staff] receives people from all over the city. The supplicants join in a prayer, give their names and then go on their way with two or three days’ worth of food. Technically, they’re not supposed to return for another month.”

“What this means for the food insecure is that finding a cupboard, figuring out when it’s open, and getting there at the right time can be a challenge, especially if you work. If you find a cupboard, you get two days’ worth of food for 30 days. The system is meant to serve people in emergencies….The people who use cupboards don’t need help in emergencies; they are in a perpetual state of emergency. And instead of visiting one or two cupboards, they have to mix and match to put together a month’s worth of food.”

For the full story, see: http://citypaper.net/articles/2005-09-22/cover.shtml.

“Just in time for the normally busy fall and holiday season, the largest food bank in the Kansas City area has warned that its pantry could be leaner than in past years,” according to an article in the October 16, 2005 Kansas City Star. “Harvesters, which gives out food to agencies in 13 counties of western Missouri and eastern Kansas, said food donations during the third quarter were down 8 percent from the same period a year ago.”

“Officials with the organization blame a combination of Hurricane Katrina, less help from a local food manufacturer [ConAgra Foods, which recently relocated a warehouse from Kansas City to Dallas], and changes in how a national food bank distributes its supplies. They said they’re trying to make up the difference as best they can. ‘People who needed Harvesters before will need us even more now,’” commented spokesperson Karen Siebert.

Obesity Round-Up

Big babies = bigger adults. Infants who are heavy or grow big early in life are more likely to be obese adults, according to a research review by British investigators published in the October 14, 2005 British Medical Journal. Two dozen studies were examined that assessed the relationship between infant size or growth during the first two years and obesity later in life. Most studies showed that, “Infants who are at the highest end of the distribution for weight or body mass index or who grow rapidly during infancy are at increased risk of subsequent obesity,” the researchers concluded. For more details, see: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/331/7522/929.

Obesity screening activity is thin. Pediatricians and other physicians often fail to assess and counsel for obesity in the ambulatory children they see, notes an article in the July 2005 issue of the journal Pediatrics. In nearly 33,000 doctor visits made by two- to 18-year-olds between 1997 and 2000, obesity was diagnosed in only 0.78 percent of all visits and in just 0.93 percent of well child visits (WVCs). The authors conclude that, “Clinicians may overlook obesity during WVCs. Programs to increase obesity diagnosis could improve diet and exercise counseling rates, but even with diagnosis of obesity, significant opportunities for screening and intervention are missed.” To read more, go to:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/…firstpage=112&journalcode=pediatrics.

Income not a factor for child obesity. While low-income adults may have higher obesity rates than those with more income, the same does not hold true for low-income children, according to University of Maryland researchers in a study released in September 2005. “The findings were counter to our hypotheses,” said Sandra Hofferth, a professor of family studies, who examined over 1,200 children. The study found that children in the poorest families and high income families were less likely to be overweight, while children from families just over the poverty line were most at risk for being overweight. Another study result: “Poor children benefit substantially from food programs.” Find further information at: http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/culture/print.cfm?articleID=1129.

Parents take heat for obesity crisis: More than 77 percent of U.S. adults blame parents for America’s childhood obesity crisis, according to a September 2005 report from Mintel, a consumer research firm. Busy schedules leading to fewer family meals and more “on-the-go” dining are the main culprits, a company survey found. “Children’s eating habits are suffering due to lack of structured meal time, and this is as big a challenge as the lack of balanced meals,” commented Amanda Archibald, a registered dietician and Mintel analyst. Learn more at: http://reports.mintel.com/sinatra/reports/press_releases/view=press_view/press_display/id=181388.

Kids’ Food Pyramid Unveiled: The popular MyPyramid Food Guidance System now offers a version for children. The child-friendly “MyPyramid for Kids” was publicized at a September 28, 2005 news conference by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Mike Johanns. Under the slogan “Eat right. Exercise. Have Fun.” the Kids Pyramid features interactive games, lesson plans, posters, and fliers that are age-appropriate and are based on the USDA pyramid guide for adults whose web site has had 800 million hits since being introduced earlier this year. The children’s version may be found on the USDA web site at: http://www.MyPyramid.gov/.

A new approach to tackling obesity. Seattle/King County, Washington is one of two sites in the nation looking at how economics and the environment affect obesity. The “Overweight Prevention Initiative,” being implemented by the University of Washington’s Exploratory Center for Obesity Research is bringing together public health nutritionists with architects, city planners, transportation experts, and others to come up with ideas to improve diet and exercise options for local residents. “It’s important that King County take a leadership role in making the community a healthier place for everyone,” said King County Executive Ron Sims. “Through policy work, community programs and education, we can reduce diseases associated with being overweight and have an impact on overall healthcare costs.” For more on the Initiative, see: http://www.metrokc.gov/health/news/05101301.htm.

Small Bites

The rich get richer: The latest U.S. Census figures show that the top 20 percent of earners now take over half of total income, while the bottom 20 percent gets just 3.4 percent.

Zapping dinner at home: Americans are using their stovetops less – down 18 percent since 1985, while microwave oven use had doubled in the past twenty years.

If not eating out: U.S. adults consumed an average of 5.6 meals a week away from home in 2004, with breakfasts purchased away from home gaining nearly 20 percent over 2003.

Going nuts: Americans eat 2.4 billion pounds of peanuts annually.

Up against the Wal-Mart: Wal-Mart is now by far the largest food retailer in the nation with $109 billion in grocery sales in 2004, more than Kroger and Albertson’s combined.

Washing up with yogurt?: British doctors are being advised to scrub their hands with yogurt or a probiotic cleanser containing “good bacteria” rather than antiseptic soap, due to the increasing ineffectiveness of antibiotics in medical practice.

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