Congressional Research Service Reports - 123 Matching Results
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- The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP): Background and Funding
- This report begins by describing the population using emergency food assistance. It goes on to discuss the the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) program, including its administration at the federal, state, and local levels, eligibility rules, and funding structure. The report concludes by summarizing TEFAP's role in disaster response and recent reauthorization efforts.
- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Categorical Eligibility
- This report discusses eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the different ways of of qualifying for the program.
- Error and Fraud in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- This report seeks to define terms related to errors and fraud; identify problems and describe what is known of their extent; summarize current policy and practice; and share recommendations, proposals, and pilots that have come up in recent years. The report answers several questions around four main types of inaccuracy and misconduct: trafficking SNAP benefits (by retailers and by recipients); retailer application fraud; errors and fraud in SNAP household applications; and errors and fraud committed by state agencies (including a discussion of states' recent Quality Control (QC) misconduct). The report then discusses challenges to combating errors and fraud--across the four areas--and potential strategies for addressing those challenges.
- Domestic Food Assistance: Summary of Programs
- This report discusses food assistance programs which are administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (USDA-FNS) programs as well as nutrition programs administered by the Administration on Aging (AOA), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Community Living (HHS-ACL).
- Nutrition Labeling of Restaurant Menu and Vending Machine Items
- This report discusses nutrition labeling for items on restaurant menus, in vending machines, prepared food at groceries, and entertainment venues which is required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed in 2010 but now due to be fully implemented in May 2018.
- FDA Authorization Act of 2017 (FDARA, P.L. 115-52)
- This report presents an overview of the Food and Drug Administration Reauthorization Act (FDARA) of 2017 by title and section, providing a narrative context for each title, as well as a brief description of each section.
- The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer
- This report discusses concerns about food safety, the resources required to ensure food safety, and whether federal food safety laws themselves, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
- U.S. International Food Aid Programs: Background and Issues
- This report includes three principal sections: a description of U.S. international food aid programs under current law; a discussion of several important policy issues related to U.S. international food aid; and a description of Administration and congressional proposals intended to change the nature of U.S. food international aid.
- U.S. Sugar Program Fundamentals
- This report discusses the U.S. sugar program, which is singular among major agricultural commodity programs in that it combines a floor price guarantee with a supply management structure that encompasses both domestic production for human use and sugar imports.
- The Role of Local and Regional Food Systems in U.S. Farm Policy
- This report provides background information on many of the type of operations engaged in the U.S. local and regional food system. A wide range of farm businesses are involved in local foods, such as direct-to-consumer marketing, farmers' markets, farm-to-school programs, community-supported agriculture,6 community gardens, school gardens, food hubs and market aggregators, kitchen incubators, and mobile slaughter units. This report also highlights some of the available resources within existing federal programs administered by USDA and other agencies.
- Local Food Systems: Selected Farm Bill and Other Federal Programs
- This report examines the federal support of local food systems, such as sales of locally-produced foods which comprise a small but growing part of U.S. agricultural sales.
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report provides responses to frequently asked questions about the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), including the DGA development process, as well as specific recommendations contained in the 2015-2020 DGA. The DGA provides federally-developed food-based recommendations for Americans two years of age and older, designed to promote health and prevent disease.
- The Obama Administration's Feed the Future Initiative
- This report discusses the features of "Feed the Future" (FTF), a major foreign assistance initiative designed to alleviate global poverty and improve health and food security. Key issues addressed include the origin, intent, and government-wide inter-agency development approach of FTF; FTF program implementation, including monitoring and evaluation issues; and funding. This report also raises possible oversight issues for Congress.
- Need-Tested Benefits: Estimated Eligibility and Benefit Receipt by Families and Individuals
- This report examines estimated benefit receipt by families from nine major need-tested benefit programs in 2012.
- Constitutional Implications of State GE Food Labeling Laws
- This report analyzes three constitutional provisions relevant to state GE food labeling laws, the First Amendment, the Supremacy Clause, and the Commerce Clause, by explaining the wider legal background of GE labeling as well the court's analysis of these constitutional issues in GMA v. Sorrell.
- Legal Issues with Federal Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food: In Brief
- This report discusses the debate of labeling genetically engineered (GE) or genetically modified (GMO) food products and the inconsistency of jurisdiction surrounding the issue, considering the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) lack of formal regulations and policies on the labeling of GE food.
- Access to Unapproved Drugs: FDA Policies on Compassionate Use and Emergency Use Authorization
- This report discuses the approval or licensure procedures of drugs and biological products which Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may permit the sponsor to provide an unapproved or unlicensed product to patients outside the standard regulatory framework.
- Federal Support for Reproductive Health Services: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report provides answers to frequently asked questions concerning the provision, funding, and coverage of reproductive health services. The report is organized by the federal program that pays for or directly provides these services. It concludes with questions about coverage requirements for reproductive health services under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and discusses of various federal programs that provide grants to non-governmental entities to provide reproductive health services.
- Agricultural Biotechnology: Background, Regulation, and Policy Issues
- This report discusses the ethical and political issues surrounding contemporary biotechnology. Driving the discussion are inventions such as genetically engineered (GE) crops, which have increased from 3.6 million acres to 143 million acres in the United States. The report also raises concerns about regulations and the adequacy of environmental assessments.
- U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID): Background, Operations, and Issues
- This report provides background information on the institutional makeup and operations of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the leading international humanitarian and development arm of the U.S. government. It then discusses in greater depth several aspects of the agency that might be of particular congressional interest.
- Conservation Compliance and U.S. Farm Policy
- This report provides information about the Conservation Compliance and U.S. Farm Policy. Federal policies and programs have offered voluntary incentives to producers to plan and apply resource-conserving practices on private lands.
- Consumers and Food Price Inflation
- This report provides information on the current status and outlook for U.S. food prices, measuring their changes and how such changes relate to U.S. consumers.
- 2014 Farm Bill Provisions and WTO Compliance
- This report briefly describes the relevant World Trade Organization (WTO) rules governing domestic support programs under the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM). The report then reviews the current U.S. farm safety net programs in light of their potential for compliance with the AoA and SCM and their potential to affect the success of the current Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations.
- Food Safety Issues for the 114th Congress
- This report discusses food safety legislation passed by Congress in December 2010 (FDA Food Safety Modernization Act [FSMA], P.L. 111-353).
- U.S. International Food Aid Programs: Background and Issues
- This report includes three principal sections: the first section is a description of U.S. international food aid programs under current law; the second section discusses several important policy issues related to U.S. international food aid; and the third section describes Administration and congressional proposals intended to change the nature of U.S. food international aid.
- Local Food Systems: Selected Farm Bill and Other Federal Programs
- This report discusses how locally produced food systems and farmers are impacted and supported by federal programs including marketing and promotion, business assistance and research, rural and community development programs, and nutrition assistance programs.
- Chicken Imports from China
- This report covers a couple of key factors regarding poultry trade from China to the United States. It reviews guidelines set in motion by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (U.S.D.A.) Food and Safety Inspection Service (F.S.I.S.).
- Food Safety Issues: FDA Judicial Enforcement Actions
- This report is categorized into five categories: (I) FDA Enforcement Authority, (II) Injunctions, (III) Seizure, (IV) Criminal Prosecution and (V) Related Legislation in the 114th Congress.
- Food Safety Issues for the 114th Congress
- This report discusses pertinent issues for Congress in regards to food safety legislation.
- Domestic Food Assistance: Summary of Programs
- This report gives an overview of the federal programs that provide food assistance within the United States and the territories, including a discussion of common concepts and themes across the network of domestic food assistance programs.
- The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer
- This report is categorized into five categories: (I) Background, (II) The Agencies and Their Roles, (III) Congressional Committees, (IV) Funding for Federal Food Safety Programs and (V) Federal Food Safety Inspection.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): A Primer on Eligibility and Benefits
- This report focuses on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility and the form and function of benefits. SNAP, formerly called the Food Stamp Program, is designed primarily to increase the food purchasing power of eligible low-income households to help them buy a nutritionally adequate low-cost diet.
- Food Recalls and Other FDA Administrative Enforcement Actions
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ensures the safety of all food except for meat, poultry, and certain egg products over which the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has regulatory oversight. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), the FDA has the authority to regulate the manufacturing, processing, and labeling of food, with the primary goal of promoting food safety. This report focuses on the FDA's statutory authority to initiate the following administrative enforcement actions: inspections, warning letters, recalls, suspension of registration, administrative detention, and related legal issues.
- Farm and Food Support Under USDA's Section 32 Program
- "Section 32" is a permanent appropriation that since 1935 has set aside the equivalent of 30% of annual customs receipts to support the farm sector through the purchase of surplus commodities and a variety of other activities. This report first describes how the Section 32 account operates by tracing funds flowing into and out of the account. Second, a more detailed discussion is provided for each type of use, including historical policies.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): A Primer on Eligibility and Benefits
- This report focuses on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility and the form and function of benefits. SNAP, formerly called the Food Stamp Program, is designed primarily to increase the food purchasing power of eligible low-income households to help them buy a nutritionally adequate low-cost diet.
- Implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA, P.L. 111-353)
- This report documents the scheduled timeline for action on selected FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) provisions, as specified in the enacted law, and FDA-reported actions taken to date, based on available FDA press releases and publicly available progress reports.
- Legal Issues with Federal Labeling of Genetically Engineered Food: In Brief
- This report discusses the debate of labeling genetically engineered (GE) or genetically modified (GMO) food products and the inconsistency of jurisdiction surrounding the issue, considering the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) lack of formal regulations and policies on the labeling of GE food. Report was later updated on September 22, 2015.
- Juice Labeling and Pom Wonderful v. Coca-Cola: A Legal Overview
- This report discusses two different federal statutes that regulate beverage labels.
- What Is the Farm Bill?
- This report describes the Farm Bill (P.L. 110-246, Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, which was enacted into law on June 18, 2008.
- Genetically Engineered Salmon
- This report discusses the genetically modified salmon. The term “genetic modification” refers to changes in an organism’s genetic makeup that do not occur in nature. Also, if approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Atlantic salmon would be the first genetically engineered (GE) animal to be marketed in the United States for human consumption.
- The 2014 Farm Bill (Agricultural Act of 2014, P.L. 113-79)
- This report briefly informs the reader about what the Farm Bill of 2014 is, what is at stake, and the cost of it. The report also includes information about the involvement of interest groups and the effect the Farm Bill has on food issues.
- What Is the Farm Bill?
- This report describes the Farm Bill (P.L. 110-246, Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008), which was enacted into law on June 18, 2008.
- Food Safety Issues for the 113th Congress
- Congress passed comprehensive food safety legislation in December 2010 (FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), P.L. 111-353), representing the largest expansion and overhaul of U.S. food safety authorities since the 1930s. This report discusses Congress' oversight in regards to FSMA and its interest in several other issues including food safety initiatives covering meat, poultry, and seafood products; legislation intended to curtail the non-medical use of antibiotics in animal feeds and to ban the use of certain plastic components commonly used in food containers; food labeling; stricter food safety enforcement mechanisms; and the use of plant and animal biotechnology.
- The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer
- This report discusses concerns about food safety, the resources required to ensure food safety, and whether federal food safety laws themselves, first enacted in the early 1900s, have kept pace with the significant changes that have occurred in the food production, processing, and marketing sectors since then.
- Food Fraud and "Economically Motivated Adulteration" of Food and Food Ingredients
- This report discusses food fraud, or the act of defrauding buyers of food and food ingredients for economic gain. It includes background information, an overview of available data and information repositories related to food fraud, federal activities involving food fraud, and Congressional actions involving food fraud.
- International Food Aid: U.S. and Other Donor Contributions
- This report provides data on the U.S. contribution to global food aid as reported by signatories of the International Food Aid Convention (FAc) and compiled by the International Grains Council (IGC).
- Farm-to-Food Price Dynamics
- This report discusses heightened commodity price volatility. It also discusses an array of cost that is layered on top of the price of a raw agricultural commodity at each stage of the marketing chain as it moves to the customer.
- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Categorical Eligibility
- This report discusses categorical eligibility and some of the issues raised by it. It first describes the three different types of categorical eligibility: traditional categorical eligibility conveyed through receipt of need-based cash assistance, and the newer "narrow" and "broad-based" categorical eligibilities conveyed via TANF "noncash" benefits. It also provides recent information on current state practices with regard to categorical eligibility. Finally, the report discusses proposals to restrict categorical eligibility.
- Consumers and Food Price Inflation
- This report is divided into five sections that cover the following: major economic concepts underlying consumer food behavior; descriptions how U.S. food price inflation rates have evolved since 1915, when federal price data collection for inflation-measuring purposes began; information on recent history and projections for U.S. food expenditure shares relative to total household budget; an examination of retail food price inflation; and a discussion on the impact that rapid food price inflation can have on government food programs and the more vulnerable consumer groups.
- What Is the Farm Bill?
- Report that describes the Farm Bill (P.L. 110-246, "2008 farm bill"), the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, which was enacted into law on June 18, 2008. It discusses the most recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) "baseline" budget (May 2013