Child Nutrition Programs: Background and Current Issues

The term child nutrition programs refers to several U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) programs that provide food for children in institutional settings. These include the school meals programs-the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program-as well as the Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, Special Milk Program, and Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. Chapter 1 provides an overview of these and other current issues in the child nutrition programs. The child nutrition programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) were last reauthorized in 2010 as reported in chapter 2. Chapter 3 describes how each program operates under current law, focusing on eligibility rules, participation, and funding. This introductory section describes some of the background and principles that generally apply to all of the programs; subsequent sections go into further detail on the workings of each. Chapter 4 examines what is known about SFSP participation, other programs that help feed low-income children over the summer, and challenges, if any, in providing summer meals to children and the extent to which USDA provides assistance to address these challenges. Chapter 5 is the statement of Kathryn A. Larin on improvements needed in the summer meals program. Chapter 6 provides an overview of the WIC program, including administration, funding, eligibility, benefits, benefits redemption, and cost containment policies. Chapter 7 assesses the extent to which leading research practices were followed in USDA's most recent review of vegetables available under WIC. Chapter 8 discusses SNAP E&T programs, including program participants, design, and USDA oversight, and USDA's efforts to address SNAP program integrity, including improper payments, as well as recipient and retailer fraud.