Evaluation of US Department of Agriculture Foods Programs for Households Using Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System

Background US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foods programs for households (ie, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and Commodity Supplemental Food Program) are designed to provide nutritious foods at no cost to income-eligible individuals in the United States. Objective Our aim was to evaluate the nutritional quality of the foods available from 3 USDA Foods programs for households (ie, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and Commodity Supplemental Food Program) according to the Healthy Eating Research (HER) Guidelines for the Charitable Food System. Design Review of the nutritional information of the foods available from USDA Foods programs for households was performed. Using the HER Guidelines, foods were categorized into a 3-tiered system (ie, choose often/green; choose sometimes/yellow; choose rarely/red) based on levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar per serving, and presence of whole grains. Setting All unique foods available from The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (n = 152) for fiscal year 2022 were evaluated. Main outcome measures Nutritional quality of the foods available from USDA Foods programs for households according to the HER guidelines was measured. Foods were ranked green, yellow, red, or not ranked. Statistical analyses performed The proportion of foods in each HER Guidelines’ rank was calculated across the 3 USDA Foods programs for households and by each program. Results The majority of USDA Foods were ranked green (57.3%) or yellow (35.5%). A small number of items were ranked red (3.3%) or were unranked condiments or cooking staples (3.9%). Conclusions The USDA Foods available in the household programs were primarily fruits and vegetables; lean proteins; whole grains; and low-fat dairy products that were consistent with national dietary guidelines. There is some room for improvement, and adjustments in the specifications for certain items are recommended to strengthen the nutritional value of the foods provided through these important federal programs.