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Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services

Food and Consumer Service

USDA's Food and Consumer Service (FCS) provides three types of programs that benefit American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, or that are of special interest to American Indians.

1. Programs that are specifically designed to benefit American Indians or Indian tribes as organized Indian groups.

FCS administers the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations for American Indian households living on or near certain reservations recognized by the Federal or State government.

1. Programs that specifically include American Indians or Indian tribes among designated beneficiaries.

FCS provides three programs that specifically mention Indian tribes, including the Food Stamp Program, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). Special provisions of the law (or regulation in the case of CSFP) permit Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) to administer the program where appropriate. All low-income households, including American Indian households, may be eligible for food stamps, while low-income households with pregnant and postpartum women and their infants and young children may also be eligible for WIC or CSFP.

1. Programs which, while not specifically naming American Indians or Indian tribes as beneficiaries, may nevertheless be of special interest to American Indians or Indian tribes.

FCS provides several Child Nutrition Programs from which American Indians can benefit. These include the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, the Special Milk Program, and the Summer Food Service Program.

FCS administers the Food Distribution Program, which provides commodities to needy people in charitable institutions and contributes to the Nutrition Programs for the Elderly Program administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (The program has a special Indian Tribal component.)

The Food Distribution Program also donates food to needy persons in declared areas through disaster relief agencies.