Department of Agriculture

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was created in 1889 as the 6th Executive Department (Cabinet Department) within the U.S. federal government, alongside other Executive Departments such as the Departments of State, Treasury, and Defense.

The USDA provides leadership on food, agriculture, and natural resources issues, including the following key activities as specified in the USDA Strategic Plan for 2002–07: expanding markets for agricultural products, developing alternative markets for agricultural products, expanding job opportunities in rural America, reducing the prevalence of foodborne hazards, improving the nutrition and health of Americans through food assistance and education, and managing and protecting public and private lands.

The USDA budget for 2008 is estimated at approximately $89 billion, of which about 75 percent goes to provide services as required by law, including programs focused on nutrition assistance, farm commodities, export promotion, and conservation. The remaining 25 percent is allocated by discretionary programs, including those to address pest and disease threats, the WIC program (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), rural development loans and grants, research, education, technical assistance for soil and water conservation, marketing assistance, and Forest Service activities including management of National Forests.

Working with American farms, the Department of Agriculture seeks to improve the health of citizens through assistance and education.

Most of the USDA activities relevant to obesity are concentrated in the area of Food and Nutrition. The food pyramid, currently known as MyPyramid, is both a graphical method of displaying the proportion of different foods and nutrients recommended for a balanced diet, and an online interface which allows anyone to calculate the specific daily number [Page 177]of servings from different food groups which are recommended for them, based on the individual age, sex, and activity level. The food pyramid classifies foods into six groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat and beans, and oils. For a 50-year-old female, the food pyramid recommends 2,000 calories per day including 6 ounces of grains, 2.5 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruits, 3 cups of milk, and 5.5 ounces of meat and beans. For a 25-year-old male with the same activity level, 2,800 calories are recommended including 10 ounces of grains, 3.5 cups of vegetables, 2.5 cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk, and 7 ounces of meat and beans.

The Food Stamp program provides low-income families in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia with electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards which they may use to buy eligible food in authorized food retail stores. Food stamp eligibility is contingent on the individual or family meeting certain income and resource tests, which are summarized at the USDA website: they include having $2,000 or less in countable resources such as a bank account, and gross monthly income of $2,167 or less for a family of four; less stringent restrictions apply in certain circumstances, including households with a disabled or elderly member.

Food stamps may be used to buy foods for the household and food-producing seeds and plants; they may not be used for alcoholic beverages, tobacco, or nonfood items such as household supplies or pet food. In some circumstances (for instance, for homeless, elderly, or disabled persons), food stamps can be exchanged for restaurant meals. Fifty-one percent of all food stamp recipients are children age 18 or younger; 9 percent are adults over age 60. Forty-one percent of participants in the food stamp program are Caucasian, 36 percent are African American, 18 percent are Hispanic, and the remainder are Asian, Native American, or of unknown race or ethnicity.

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