Informing Food and Nutrition Assistance Policy: 10 Years of Research at ERS

About one in five Americans participates in at least one of USDA’s food and nutrition assistance programs at some point during the year. At a cost of almost $53 billion in fiscal year 2006—over half of USDA’s annual budget—these programs represent a significant Federal investment. Sound research is needed to ensure that the programs operate effectively and efficiently. Since 1998, Congress has provided funds to the Economic Research Service to study and evaluate the Nation’s domestic food and nutrition assistance programs. ERS established the Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program (FANRP) to carry out this activity. FANRP has become the premier source of food and nutrition assistance research in the United States, sponsoring over 600 publications on a wide range of topics related to food and nutrition assistance. This report, prepared at the 10-year anniversary of the FANRP program, highlights some of the key research conducted during the program’s first decade.