Improving Food Assistance Program Integrity

USDA's food assistance programs provide nutritional benefits to one in five Americans, and as declining economic conditions continue to increase demand for assistance, USDA faces challenges in ensuring program integrity and food safety. The department has made progress in reducing fraud, waste, and abuse in these programs, but will be challenged to make further improvements in concert with recent efforts to ensure program access to those in need and improve the nutritional content and safety of food provided. Our work has shown the following:

• Two major food recalls have raised questions about the responsiveness of school meals programs to food safety concerns. By improving notification procedures and instructions on how to carry out recalls, and by improving the monitoring of the effectiveness of recalls, USDA could reduce the risk of children consuming recalled foods.

  Highlights of GAO-09-649 (PDF)

• Although states and school food authorities conduct program integrity reviews of the school meals programs, there remain gaps in how well they identify errors. Specifically, USDA faces challenges in reducing errors in (1) determining whether a meal meets nutritional and other requirements and (2) counting meals for federal reimbursement.

  Highlights of GAO-09-814 (PDF)

• Some states and districts that participate in the school meals programs have chosen to provide free meals to all students who qualify for reduced price meals. These states and districts bear the cost of the reduced–price fees that the students otherwise would have paid, but many reported experiencing increased participation and other benefits.

  Highlights of GAO-09-584 (PDF)

• While USDA oversees the nutritional content of lunches and breakfasts served through the federal school meals programs, almost all schools sell additional foods through vending machines and other venues that are largely unregulated by the federal government. Given the prevalence of these foods, as well as emerging concerns about child obesity trends, USDA can play an important role in providing technical assistance to schools to help them limit the availability of foods with limited nutritional value.

  Highlights of GAO-05-563 (PDF)

• Payment errors and trafficking in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly the Food Stamp Program) have declined despite increased participation. However, USDA could enhance program integrity by better targeting stores likely to engage in trafficking (providing cash for benefits instead of food) and increasing associated penalties and by improving guidance and monitoring to help ensure appropriate use of noncash categorical eligibility. Similarly, USDA has recently assessed the rate and types of erroneous payments in its school meals programs, and it will be challenged to identify ways to reduce these errors.

  Highlights of GAO-07-53 (PDF), Full Report of GAO-07-465 (PDF, 125 pages), Highlights of GAO-08-438T (PDF)

• USDA has made progress in increasing participation in food assistance programs, but GAO has recommended that USDA consider, evaluate, and provide information on alternative methods to apply for and maintain program benefits.

  Highlights of GAO-07-573 (PDF)

• It will be increasingly important for USDA to continue to look for ways to improve the cost-effectiveness of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) by tracking quantities and prices of foods purchased through WIC.

  Highlights of GAO-06-664 (PDF)

• While USDA oversees the nutritional content of lunches and breakfasts served through the federal school meals programs, almost all schools sell additional foods through vending machines and other venues that are largely unregulated by the federal government. Given the prevalence of these foods, as well as emerging concerns about child obesity trends, USDA can play an important role in providing technical assistance to schools to help them limit the availability of foods with limited nutritional value.

  Highlights of GAO-05-563 (PDF)

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

To better ensure the safety of foods provided to children through the school meal programs USDA and HHS should

• Better coordinate at the federal level to enable FNS to provide more timely and complete notifications to school districts about recalled foods;
• Improve information provided to school districts on how to carry out recalls; and
• Ensure that schools are included in evaluations of the effectiveness of recall procedures.

To reduce improper payments and errors in the school meals programs, USDA needs to

• Modify the requirements for all state and school food authority reviews; and
• Improve federal guidance and data collection to assess risks and better target oversight efforts.

To help ensure that food assistance programs are provided in compliance with applicable laws and regulations and to improve program integrity, USDA needs to

• take steps to identify stores most likely to traffic in food stamps and provide more targeted oversight of these stores.

  Highlights of GAO-07-53 (PDF)

To identify and encourage strategies to increase participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program while maintaining program integrity, USDA should

• analyze data from states that have implemented waivers or demonstration projects waiving the face-to-face interview to better assess the effect of these efforts on outcomes such as participation and payment accuracy, and
• disseminate information on alternatives to the traditional application and recertification process.

  Highlights of GAO-07-573 (PDF)

^ Back to topKey Reports

School Meal Programs

School Meal Programs

Food Stamp Program

Food Stamp Program

Food Stamp Program

Food Stamp Trafficking

WIC Program

More Reports