Commodity Supplemental Food Program

What this funds

The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Authorized under sections 4(a) and 5 of the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973, CSFP is designed to improve the health of people with low-income who are at least 60 years of age, by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA Foods. Through CSFP, FNS distributes both food and administrative funds to participating state agencies and Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs), which work to provide CSFP food packages to eligible participants. CSFP operates in parts of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and by seven ITOs. Authorized by section 4402 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, the SFMNP is designed to: provide low-income seniors with access to locally grown fruits, vegetables, honey, and herbs; increase the domestic consumption of agricultural commodities through farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community supported agriculture programs; and aid in the development of new and additional farmers markets, roadside stands, and community supported agriculture programs. As authorized by section 17(m) of Child Nutrition Act of 1966, the WIC FMNP provides eligible WIC participants - pregnant and postpartum women, infants older than 4 months, and children up to the age of five - with FMNP coupons to purchase fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and herbs directly from farmers, farmers' markets, and roadside stands that have been approved by the state agency to Authorized under the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-188), Pacific Island Assistance provides the nuclear-affected islands of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) assistance in the form of cash-in-lieu of food and administrative funds through the Special Food Assistance Program. Disaster relief in the form of USDA Foods can also be provided to the RMI and Federated States of Micronesia for use in Presidential Disaster Declaration. Federal nutrition assistance programs operate as partnerships between FNS and the State and local organizations that interact directly with program participants. States voluntarily enter into agreements with the Federal Government to operate programs according to Federal standards in exchange for program funds that cover all benefit costs, and a significant portion, if not all, of administrative Under these agreements, FNS is responsible for implementing statutory requirements that set national program standards for eligibility and benefits, providing Federal funding to State and local partners, and for conducting monitoring and evaluation activities to make sure that program structures and policies are properly implemented and effective in meeting program missions. State and local organizations are responsible for delivering benefits efficiently, effectively, and in a manner FNS employees are a vital resource for advancing the mission of the Federal nutrition assistance programs. The agency staff serves to ensure and leverage the effective use of program The agency employs people from a variety of disciplines, including policy and management analysts, evaluators. Because of the small size of the agency's staff relative to the resources it manages, FNS has created clear and specific performance measures and must focus its management efforts on a In 2026, program operations are managed through FNS's national office, seven regional offices, and one area office. The national office is located in the National Capital Region. The seven regional offices and Chicago, IL. The area office is located in San Juan, PR. A Regional Administrator directs each regional office. These offices maintain direct contact with State agencies that administer the FNS programs and conduct on-site management reviews of State operations. In addition, the Retailer Operations Division monitors the 265,876 stores and other outlets authorized to redeem SNAP As of September 2025, there were approximately 1,707 full-time permanent employees in the agency. This included 566 employees at the Headquarters office and 1,141 in the field. Review of FNS' Disaster Relief Efforts Providing Disbursement of SNAP Benefits Using the EBT FNS Preparedness for the Fiscal Year 2026 1 Includes only those audits where FNS is the lead agency. Schools in Providing Seafood to Students SNAS GAO-25-106503 1-2025 Accountability Could Help Ensure Quality of Future Closed as of 1-2025 GAO-25-107508 Contracts Reduce Program Costs and Modestly Instructions to Help Agency Assessment Efforts Table FNS-3. Available Funds and FTEs (thousands of dollars, FTEs)

Extracted from Food and Nutrition Service, p. 100. Verbatim; nothing here is paraphrased.

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