Nutrition Education

Importance of Nutrition Education

For more than a half century, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has funded nutrition education designed to improve safe food handling and preparation as well as to enhance the nutritional health and well-being of Americans. In addition to providing general guidance through resources such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, USDA provides more specific nutrition education through programs for lower resourced populations. USDA also funds research to increase understanding of healthful food and beverage choices and to refine and improve educational content, methodologies, and evaluation metrics. 

Nutrition education has been described as any combination of educational strategies and environmental supports designed to motivate and facilitate voluntary adoption of food choices and other food- and nutrition-related behaviors conducive to health and well-being. Nutrition education is delivered through multiple venues and involves activities at the individual, community, and policy levels. Nutrition education also addresses critical issues such as food and nutrition security, food scarcity, food literacy and food sustainability (Isobel Contento and Pamela Koch (Nutrition Education: Linking Research, Theory, and Practice, Fourth Edition (2020)). Effective nutrition education draws upon the collective strengths and contributions of individuals, families, communities, organizations, and other sectors of society to have its greatest potential to change eating behaviors, as well as improve health and well-being.

NIFA’s Impact

NIFA’s nutrition efforts are grounded in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and other federal food and nutrition guidelines and priorities. NIFA-funded programs are content and relationship-based, learner-centered, relevant, and dynamic. Respect for lived experience is a core value of NIFA’s nutrition education programs. This is demonstrated by the vital role of peer educators and the adaptation of content and methods to embrace differences in foods, learning styles, eating practices, languages, and family and community dynamics. Attention is also given to food costs and to the shopping, preparation, safety, and storage of foods.

Evaluation is critical to the success of NIFA’s nutrition education portfolio. Evaluation of processes, progress, and outcomes allow participants and programs to recognize and celebrate success, identify gaps and barriers, raise research questions and guide future program directions. The most recent Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Impacts Report indicates the program reaches more than a half million adults and families. More than 90 percent of adult EFNEP participants report improvement in what they eat each year. Similarly, the most recent Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) Year 5 Impact Report demonstrated positive changes on participants’ fruit and vegetable intake and food security.

NIFA works closely with the Cooperative Extension System, other program partners, and grantees to ensure that nutrition education programming and the science that supports it leads to improved food and nutrition behaviors for improved health outcomes.

In addition, NIFA coordinates with other Federal, tribal, State and local agencies in addition to a variety of organizations including professional societies and nonprofit organizations to facilitate improved nutritional health and well-being across different sectors of society. Examples include but are not limited to: 

• Other federal nutrition assistance and education programs, such as the FNS’  WIC and Team Nutrition programs.
• Federal initiatives such as FDA’s Closer to Zero, and FNS’ WIC Modernization. 

Key NIFA Programs

• Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)
• Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP)
• Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program
• Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program (FASLP)
• Agricultural and Food Research Initiative competitive grants program Food and Human Health (A1343)
• Agricultural and Food Research Initiative competitive grants program Diet, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (A1344)
• WIC Workforce Development Initiative

Other Relevant NIFA AFRI Programs

• AFRI Education and Workforce Development
  • A7101 Predoctoral Fellowships
  • A7201 Postdoctoral Fellowships
  • A7401 Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates
  • A7501 Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy
  • A7601 Agricultural Workforce Training Grants
  • A7801 Food and Agricultural Non-formal Education 

Recent Listening Sessions 

• Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) Listening Session (February 2024)
• Community Nutrition Competitive Grant Programs (Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program, Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program, and Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program) Listening Session (December 2023)
   

Relevant Topic Pages

• Advanced Food Manufacturing
• Community Nutrition
• Food and Nutrition Security
• Food Loss and Waste
• Food Products
• Food Safety
• Local and Regional Food Systems
• Nutrition and Food Systems
• Prevention of Diet-Related Diseases and Disparities
• The Science of Food

Consumer Resources – USA.gov Government Benefits explains how to apply for and find social support programs, including nutrition assistance. Nutrition.gov is a USDA sponsored website that offers credible information to help you make healthful eating choices. 

Nutrition Professional Resources – The USDA National Agricultural Library’s Food and Nutrition Information Center provides access to a range of resources from both government and non-government sources.