Judy F. Wilson, MSPH, RD¹, Marion Hinner, MS¹, R. Jane Mandell, MS, RD², and Jan Stanton, MS, RD². (1) US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA, 3101 Park Center Drive, 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302, 703-305-2585, judy.wilson@fns.usda.gov, (2) US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, 3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302

In January 2000, USDA issued a report to Congress describing barriers and opportunities for advancing more comprehensive and integrated nutrition education in and across the federal nutrition assistance programs. This report concluded that the federal nutrition assistance programs offer a special opportunity to reach low-income groups. It also noted that changes are needed to overcome barriers in order to implement cross-program and integrated nutrition education programs. Examples of changes needed include: stable funding for all programs, funding for cross-program initiatives, and legislative and policy changes. While there has been little additional funding and few legislative or policy changes since January 2000, substantive progress has been made in advance cross-program, integrated nutrition education at the national, State and local levels. These advances include: more focused national guidance regarding nutrition education goals; renewed emphasis on collaboration; aggressive promotion science-based behavior strategies, and most recently, development of Statewide Nutrition Action Plans (SNAP), etc. Through the SNAP process, nutrition assistance program staff at the State level work together to develop and implement interventions to achieve a single nutrition goal. This presentation outlines the actions USDA has taken to advance this collaboration approach and provides an overview of the SNAP process and the potential benefits of this initiative.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will know the rationale, and process used in developing the State Nutrition Action Plans and the role they play in advancing more integrated and comprehensive nutrition education approaches in the federal nutrition programs .

Keywords: Food and Nutrition, Public Health Policy

Related Web page: www.usda.fns.gov

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.