As of June 8, 2018 the House Committee on Agriculture passed its version of the 2018/19 farm bill, H.R. 2 the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry released its draft, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018.

In terms of nutrition education, the House bill suggests drastic changes to our nation’s largest nutrition education programs; including combining SNAP-Ed with EFNEP; and defining Land Grant Universities (LGUs) as the only institutions eligible for funding, with no requirement for sub-contracting with outside partners. In contrast, the bipartisan Senate draft bill maintains the existing structure and funding for SNAP-Ed and EFNEP while increasing evaluation through an electronic reporting system.  

The Tisch Food Center supports the amazing work of our SNAP-Ed grantee colleagues across New York State and the country. We are concerned that the House bill’s proposal could significantly disrupt community members’ abilities to get great nutrition education in all of the places where they live, work, learn, and play. We are happy to see that the Senate passed a bipartisan bill that keeps the programs strong and intact.

Our ultimate driver is to ensure all Americans have access to great nutrition education, and the farm bill is one of the most influential pieces of legislation for accomplishing that goal. We are extremely pleased to see the Senate uphold the current funding and structure of these important nutrition education programs. 

– Pam Koch, Director of the Tisch Food Center 

We continue to advocate for policies and practices that ensure all individuals have access to great nutrition education.