July 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched a new internship program for students from migrant and farmworker backgrounds this summer.

Parents and caregivers should take extra precautions when preparing and packing a school lunch. Flunking in food safety is not an option, especially when children are most vulnerable to foodborne illness.

Almost a year and a half ago, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack outlined USDA’s focus on nutrition security, which builds on food security by emphasizing the co-existence of food insecurity and diet-related diseases and disparities. Put simply, nutrition security means having consistent and equitable access to healthy, safe, affordable foods essential to optimal health and well-being. It’s my honor and privilege to join this effort as the second director of nutrition security and health equity at the Food and Nutrition Service within USDA and lead the department’s approach to advancing food and nutrition security.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) selected 100 students for this year’s USDA/1890 National Scholars Program out of a record number of applications received through the new online application process. The new online portal is part of USDA’s efforts to improve accessibility to USDA programs, increase equity and inclusion, and build the USDA workforce.

The 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s work continues! The committee will hold its third meeting September 12-13, 2023. The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agriculture (USDA) invite the public to participate in this important event via live webcast. Registration is required and will open on Thursday, August 10, 2023, at DietaryGuidelines.gov.

Treating and recycling used municipal water for irrigation is not a new concept, but there may be an unforeseen consequence with that practice: Microplastics.

Meet 2022 E. Kika De La Garza Fellow Sandya Kesoju, Ph.D., from Columbia Basin College (CBC) in Pasco, Wash. As the director for Agriculture Education, Research and Development, she oversees the agriculture department’s administrative activities and operations. Among her many duties in this role, she leads efforts to provide experiential learning for students; and collaborates with local industries, universities, federal agencies, K-12 partners, and the community to support programs in science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and mathematics (aka STEAM). She also teaches courses such as applied agriculture research, agriculture internship, and biochemistry lab.