Informing the Public About Nutrition:
Federal Agencies Should Do Better
CED-78-75: Published: Mar 22, 1978. Publicly Released: Mar 22, 1978.
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A large share of the Nation's health costs has been attributed to hunger and poor eating habits. A primary cause of poor nutrition is lack of consumer knowledge about the proper selection and preparation of food. Most of the Federal Government's nutrition information is produced by the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), and 12 agencies within these departments administer the dissemination of information developed by at least seven Federal Departments and commissions.
Information concerning Federal spending for nutrition information and education is not readily available, but the Congressional Research Service determined that at least $69.3 million was spent for nutrition education in fiscal year (FY) 1976. Results of a questionnaire indicated that: agencies in USDA and HEW lacked defined areas of responsibility making it difficult for users to identify sources of materials on specific topics; use of nutrition materials authorized by other agencies was limited; printed materials accounted for 84 percent of materials disseminated, although there was no assurance that this was the most effective method of dissemination; few materials developed by the Federal Government were formally evaluated; only 5 of 352 publications identified had a total distribution of over 1 million copies in FY 1975 and 1976; and most agencies lacked information on the cost to develop materials for dissemination.
Jan 15, 2021
Farmworkers:
Additional Information Needed to Better Protect Workers from Pesticide ExposureGAO-21-63: Published: Jan 15, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 15, 2021.
Nov 20, 2020
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Food Safety:
CDC Could Further Strengthen Its Efforts to Identify and Respond to Foodborne IllnessesGAO-21-23: Published: Oct 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 20, 2020.
Nov 16, 2020
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Farm Programs:
USDA Has Improved Its Completion of Eligibility Compliance Reviews, but Additional Oversight Is NeededGAO-21-95: Published: Oct 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 16, 2020.
Sep 16, 2020
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Agriculture Spending:
Opportunities Exist for USDA to Identify Successes and Challenges of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program to Inform Future EffortsGAO-20-711R: Published: Sep 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 16, 2020.
Sep 14, 2020
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USDA Market Facilitation Program:
Information on Payments for 2019GAO-20-700R: Published: Aug 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 14, 2020.
Aug 10, 2020
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National Bio and Agro-defense Facility:
DHS and USDA Are Working to Transfer Ownership and Prepare for Operations, but Critical Steps RemainGAO-20-331: Published: Jul 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 10, 2020.
May 7, 2020
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Food Safety:
FDA and USDA Could Strengthen Existing Efforts to Prepare for Oversight of Cell-Cultured MeatGAO-20-325: Published: Apr 7, 2020. Publicly Released: May 7, 2020.
Apr 13, 2020
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Priority Open Recommendations:
U.S. Department of AgricultureGAO-20-288PR: Published: Apr 6, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 13, 2020.
Dec 23, 2019
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Nutrition Assistance Programs:
Agencies Could Do More to Help Address the Nutritional Needs of Older AdultsGAO-20-18: Published: Nov 21, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 23, 2019.
Dec 6, 2019
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Imported Seafood Safety:
Actions Needed to Improve FDA Oversight of Import Alert Removal DecisionsGAO-20-62: Published: Nov 6, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 6, 2019.
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