Your tax dollars at work - government agencies are overloaded with work - regulating food safety, issuing health guidelines and product label rules, and so much more. The agencies are staffed by talented and well-educated people - and like many government agencies - manage to get the job done, though some would say at a slower pace than is necessary. Besides the work they do, they maintain loads of information...if you know where to look. These links should help you out.
FROM THE ORGANIZATIONS -
Government Agencies
WEBSITES
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2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
The mother lode of nutritional information - the PDF is 144 pages, but its's a great read. From the website: he 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines is designed to help Americans eat a healthier diet. Intended for policymakers and health professionals, this edition of the Dietary Guidelines outlines how people can improve their overall eating patterns — the complete combination of foods and drinks in their diet. This edition offers 5 overarching Guidelines and a number of Key Recommendations with specific nutritional targets and dietary limits.
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NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM
If you've ever wondered what the green logo on organic foods means (the one that shows USDA ORGANIC - this is the website that explains the standards. The National Organic Program is administered by the US Department of Agriculture . Agricultural Marketing Service. Once you get past the long name and terminology, you will learn about their key activities and plans for the near future. A good place to start is with their informative Fact Sheets - click HERE for an explanation of the definition of 100% Organic, Organic, and Made with Organic. After you've got that down, then you're ready to see all the Fact Sheets HERE.
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SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Education
SNAP-Ed teaches people to shop and cook healthy meals by offering simple, healthful Recipes and sound food advice. Geared to SNAP (formerly called food stamps) recipients to help stretch food dollars, the information and resources are valuable for everyone. SNAP benefits are provided to about 40 million Americans, administered by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). See their section on Seasonal Produce (each fruit or vegetable has links to more information, recipes and more), and links to their SNAP-Ed Partner sites run by state governments and university programs.
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