FRAC Chat

On Tuesday, June 14, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a final rule updating Federal-State Agreements (FSAs) that are critical for ensuring civil rights protections in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The final rule, which was proposed by the Obama administration, will take effect on August 15, 2022. It reaffirms USDA’s commitment to ensuring “no person in the United States shall, on the grounds of sex, including gender identity and sexual orientation, race, color, age, political belief, religious creed, disability, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subject to discrimination under SNAP.”

Temporary COVID-19 SNAP benefit boosts are slated to end when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Declaration is terminated. As a result, calls for congressional action to avert a looming “hunger cliff” are mounting.
On June 9, Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA), Alma Adams (D-NC), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and more than 70 other House members signed a letter to House and Senate leaders warning of the impending harm unless Congress acts.

This week, the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) released its annual report Community Eligibility: The Key to Hunger Free Schools for the 2021-2022 School Year, which analyzes national and state adoption of the Community Eligibility Provisions by school districts and schools. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) allows high-need schools to offer breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students on a four-year cycle. Learn more about the key findings.

More than 50 years have passed since the the White House convened a conference that helped elevate hunger as a national priority and sparked major improvements and expansions to the federal nutrition programs.

This September, the White House will host a Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
Now is the time to demonstrate with policy change and other actions that ending hunger in America remains a national priority.To ensure these priorities are put into the forefront during the conference, FRAC nominated several people to speak about their lived experiences with hunger during a series of virtual, regional listening sessions hosted by the White House. They shared their stories and recommendations during these sessions.

In a blog series, we will share the remarks of a few of the advocates who spoke during these sessions.
In this blog, Chelsi Rhoades, spoke at the Midwest and Mountain Plains regional listening session. Chelsi currently is an intern with FRAC and plans to launch a career focused on supporting the health and well-being of people struggling with poverty.

In February, Abbott Laboratories, implemented a voluntary recall of its infant formulas, Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare, produced out of its Sturgis, Michigan, facility. This voluntary recall has since sent shockwaves throughout the nation and intensified an already existing shortage of infant formula. The United States is currently in peril trying to rebound from this public health emergency. Many grocery stores and other retailers are feeling the woes associated with supply chain shortages, increased pricing, and elevated demands for goods and services.

A 2022 Datasembly report, Latest Numbers on Baby Formula, outlines that the nationwide infant formula out of stock rate has reached 43% as of May.

D.C. Hunger Solutions is committed to working with DC Health State agency staff, community partners, parents, caregivers and retailers across the district to help share information and provide resources to assist with navigating the infant formula shortage.