USDA partners with Department of Education to tackle food insecurity on college campuses 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Education announced an agreement aimed at addressing food insecurity among college students in a press release issued Thursday.

The partnership between the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service and the Education Department's office of Federal Student Aid attempts to increase awareness among college students of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides assistance to low-income individuals and families to purchase food.

"We’re committed to making SNAP more accessible and easier to understand for low-income college students. Many of today’s college students are balancing jobs and family responsibilities," Cindy Long, the deputy under secretary of the USDA Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, said in the press release.

"Access to SNAP ensures that eligible students can focus on their education, mental health, and overall well-being, rather than making difficult choices between groceries, textbooks, or other essentials," Long added.

The release cites a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that found that nearly a quarter — about 3.8 million — of college students experienced hunger in 2020.

The report also found that about 2.2 million students facing food insecurity reported very low food security, meaning they reported several times that they ate less food than they should or skipped meals because of affordability.

Fewer than 2 in 5 students facing food insecurity possibly met the criteria to receive SNAP benefits, the report said. Of those, the GAO said 59 percent did not report receiving the benefits.