Congressional Research Service Reports - 86 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- The FDA Medical Device User Fee Program
- No Description Available.
- FDA User Fees and the Regulation of Drugs, Biologics, and Devices: Comparative Analysis of S. 3187 and H.R. 5651
- No Description Available.
- Juice Labeling and Pom Wonderful v. Coca-Cola: A Legal Overview
- This report discusses two different federal statutes that regulate beverage labels.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Food Safety on the Farm: Federal Programs and Selected Proposals
- This report discusses comprehensive food safety bills that are progressing in the 111th Congress and could affect farmers and ranchers. Interest in on-farm practices was renewed after more than 1,300 persons in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada were found to be infected with the same unusual strain of bacteria (Salmonella Saintpaul) in April-July 2008.
- Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2013 Appropriations
- This report discusses the Agriculture appropriations bill—formally known as the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which provides funding for the following agencies: the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
- 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).
- 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.
- FDA Final Rule Restricting the Sale and Distribution of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco
- No Description Available.
- Country-of-Origin Labeling for Foods and the WTO Trade Dispute on Meat Labeling
- This report discusses about the AB and Panel reports that were adopted by the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) on July 23, 2012 starting a 30- day Deadline for the United States to Inform the DSB how it will implement the final findings.
- Food Safety Issues for the 113th Congress
- This report discusses Food Safety Incidents, Food borne Illness, FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, and Key Issues for the 113th Congress.
- Food Safety Issues for the 112th Congress
- This report discusses about Food Safety Incidents, Existing Food Safety Legal and Regulatory Landscape, FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, and Key Issues for the 112th Congress
- How FDA Approves Drugs and Regulates Their Safety and Effectiveness
- This report describes how drugs are approved and come to market, including FDA's role in that process.
- 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 Federal Food Safety System: A Primer
- No Description Available.
- 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.
- 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.
- The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (P.L. 111-353)
- No Description Available.
- The Federal Response to Calls for Increased Aid from USDA’s Food Assistance Programs
- This report discusses the Domestic food assistance programs that typically make up a large portion of federal spending for needy households during economic downturns.
- Agriculture and Related Agencies: FY2013 Appropriations
- This report discusses the Agriculture appropriations bill—formally known as the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which provides funding for the following agencies: the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Potential Farm Sector Effects of 2009 H1N1 "Swine Flu": Questions and Answers
- This report discusses how the outbreak of the strain of influenza A (H1N1), commonly referred to as "swine flu," affected the domestic and international pork markets.
- Food Safety Issues for the 114th Congress
- This report discusses pertinent issues for Congress in regards to food safety legislation.
- 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.
- 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.
- Food Safety on the Farm: Federal Programs and Legislative Action
- In recent years, major outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, product recalls, and reports about unsafe food imports have caused some to question the adequacy of the U.S. food safety system. Stakeholders appear to agree that an optimal system should encompass a comprehensive, preventive approach to food safety, focusing on those foods and points in the food system that pose the greatest public health risks, starting at the point of production - that is, on farms and ranches. This report discusses differing opinions on this topic, as well as related legislation.
- Seafood Safety: Background and Issues
- Although seafood consumption can contribute to a healthy diet, some fish and shellfish can cause foodborne illnesses or contain environmental contaminants. This report discusses whether current food safety programs are sufficiently protecting consumers, and if not, what changes should be considered.
- 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.
- The Federal Food Safety System: A Primer
- Numerous federal, state, and local agencies share responsibilities for regulating the safety of the U.S. food supply, which many experts say is among the safest in the world. This report discusses various food safety proposals in Congress, as well as agencies with food safety related responsibilities.