At Rural Health Journalism Workshop, Vilsack makes case for extending pandemic-related food programs

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the case for more federal support for nutrition programs June 23 in the virtual Rural Health Journalism Workshop of the Association of Health Care Journalists, Melissa Patrick reports for Kentucky Health News.

Vilsack said he hopes that two pandemic measures, the one-year summer food program for children and universal access to free or reduced-price school lunches, will be continued permanently through the Biden administration's $1.8 trillion American Families Plan pending in Congress. "We know these nutrition programs do make a difference in terms of health and educational outcomes," he said.

Also, Vilsack said the USDA is looking at the formula for calculating benefits in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. "There are significant gaps and barriers to accessing full and complete food security during an entire month," he said. A USDA study released the same day found that nearly nine of 10 SNAP participants face such barriers.

Vilsack, a former Iowa governor in his second stint as secretary, noted that Congress has the last word on many changes USDA is considering and that the "onus is on us" to make the case for them.

"We know from studies, that SNAP does reduce poverty. We know that it does improve health outcomes. We know that it reduces obesity rates among children of low income families. We know that it provides a better opportunity for these youngsters to be better learners, which results in higher graduation rates," he said, adding that SNAP helped farmers and rural economies.

Vilsack touched on several other topics at the workshop, including issues around climate change, rural hospitals, and meat-industry safety standards. This item may be updated.