Food and Nutrition Service

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The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was established in August 8, 1969. FNS is the Federal agency responsible for administering the nation’s domestic nutrition assistance programs. It administers the programs through its Headquarters (HQ) in Alexandria, VA; Regional (ROs) in San Francisco, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, and Robbinsville (NJ); and field offices throughout the US. While its staff number amongst USDA's fewest, its budget is by far the largest. FNS products and services enhance the lives of one in five Americans; its main products and services include:

• commodities supplied as: prepared meals that are served at congregate feeding sites; food packages that may be used for home consumption; and disaster relief assistance;
• food assistance through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards; nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free meals and snacks; vouchers; and, fresh, locally grown produce;
• nutrition education and promotion materials and presentations delivered by expert staff and senior managers; and
• food safety and security efforts, technical assistance and informational materials.

These products and services are provided to customers through fifteen domestic nutrition assistance programs:

• Food Stamp Program (FSP)
• National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
• School Breakfast Program (SBP)
• Special Milk Program (SMP)
• Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)
• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
• Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP)
• Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP)
• Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
• Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
• Pacific Island Assistance Program
• Nutrition Assistance Block Grants
• Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program

In the United States, the lunches that are subsidized by the NSLP are nearly ubiquitous in public schools. The program has operated since 1946.

The FNS is in charge of the national "Five A Day" and "Eat Smart, Play Hard" campaigns which encourage Americans (more specifically, children and teens) to follow the healthy eating guidelines set by the Food Pyramid. The spokescharacter of the "Eat Smart, Play Hard" campaign is Power Panther.

The National 5 A Day is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, not USDA's Food and Nutrition Service.

[edit] External links

• Food and Nutrition Service. Retrieved on October 10, 2005.

NPS - National Park Service 
FWS - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
BIA - Bureau of Indian Affairs 
BLM - Bureau of Land Management
MMS - Minerals Management Service
OSM - Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation, and Enforcement
USGS - U.S. Geological Survey
BR - Bureau of Reclamation
OIA - Office of Insular Affairs

Extension Service of the USDA
FSA - Farm Service Agency 
FAS - Foreign Agricultural Service 
RMA - Risk Management Agency 
FSIS - Food Safety Inspection Service 
FS - Forest Service 
NRCS - Natural Resources Conservation Service 
RBS - Rural Business-Cooperative Service 
OCD - Office of Community Development 
RHS - Rural Housing Service 
RUS - Rural Utilities Service 
FNS - Food and Nutrition Service 
CNPP - Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion 
AMS - Agricultural Marketing Service 
APHIS - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
GIPSA - Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration 
ARS - Agricultural Research Service 
CSREES - Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service 
ERS - Economic Research Service 
NASS - National Agricultural Statistics Service 
ASCS - Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service 

NWS - National Weather Service 
NOS - National Ocean Service 
NGS - National Geodetic Survey 
NESDIS - National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service 
NMFS - National Marine Fisheries Service 
OAR - Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 

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EIA - Energy Information Administration
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BER - Biological and Environmental Research
EM - Office of Environmental Management

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