USDA Economic Research Service
Welcome to the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) exhibit! We hope you enjoy learning more about nutrition-related resources available from ERS.
The ERS mission is to anticipate trends and emerging issues in agriculture, food, the environment, and rural America and to conduct high-quality, objective economic research to inform and enhance public and private decision making.
ERS shapes its research program and products to serve those who routinely make or influence public policy and program decisions. Our research provides context for and informs the decisions that affect the agricultural sector. ERS research and analysis covers a broad range of economic and policy topics: agricultural economy, food and nutrition, food safety, global markets and trade, resources and environment, and rural economy.
Check out these highlights from our nutrition-related research. Then visit the Food Choices & Health and Food & Nutrition Assistance webpages for more ERS research on these topics.
- For Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Households, Fruit and Vegetable Affordability Is Partly a Question of Budgeting
- How You Pay Influences the Share of Healthy Food You Buy
- Differences in the Local Food Environment Are Not the Main Cause of Nutritional Inequality
Consumer Information and Labeling
- The Association Between Restaurant Menu Label Use and Caloric Intake
- Among People Who Have Heard of MyPlate, Over One-third of Them Try to Follow the Guide’s Recommendations
- Time Spent Eating Varies by Age, Education, and Body Mass Index
- Trans Fat Levels Among U.S. Youth Fell From 1999 to 2010
- Skipping Breakfast or Lunch Has a Larger Impact on Diet Quality Thank Skipping Dinner
- Online Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Purchasing Grew Substantially in 2020
- Updated Food Access Research Atlas Now Maps Changes in Low-Income and Low-Supermarket Access Areas in 2019
- Working From Home Leads to More Time Spent Preparing Food, Eating at Home
- Availability of Caloric Sweeteners Drops Nearly 19 Percent Over Last 20 Years
- Federal Spending on Food Assistance Reached Record High of $122.1 Billion in 2020
- SNAP and P-EBT Accounted for More Than One-ninth of Total Food-at-Home Spending From April to September 2020
- Free School Lunch, Breakfast Participation Rose Between 2009 and 2019
- Schoolchildren Consumed More Whole Grains Following Change in School Meal Standards
- USDA School Meals Support Food Security and Good Nutrition
- International Food Security Assessment, 2021-31
- Mali’s Rural-urban Gap in Food Security Vanished Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic
ERS digitally publishes its research and analysis in economic research reports, articles in our award-winning Amber Waves magazine, data visualizations and data products throughout the year. Research and data that can help interpret and understand the emerging economic impacts of the pandemic are highlighted on ERS’ COVID-19 Economic Implications for Agriculture, Food, and Rural America web page.
Stay connected to ERS through our weekly e-mail service and follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn!
Jacqueline Michael-Midkiff
Email: Jacqueline.Michael-Midkiff@usda.gov
816-490-2460
ers.usda.gov
