Universities Awarded Federal Grants To Study Food Aid Programs

Two U.S. universities were each awarded $1 million by the USDA to create regional nutrition education “Centers of Excellence.” The money will be used by the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) and Utah State University to fund research into nutrition education and obesity prevention for disadvantaged children and families. The Knoxville Center will focus on reducing obesity by analyzing programs to identify facilitators, barriers, best practices, training and evaluation needs. Utah State will use its $1 million grant to compare the effectiveness of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) programs on participants and non-participants of different ethnic and racial backgrounds in five states.