Reaching out to all America: coordinated nutrition education across USDA programs

This presentation briefly discusses how the USDA agencies work together to meet the nutrition education needs of our diverse population. Atwater's work in nutrition was characterized by an extensive cooperative program and this legacy has continued in USDA nutrition education efforts. Our challenge is not only to provide the consumer with accurate, appropriate, and effective nutrition education, but to also ensure that our efforts are in harmony with those of other agencies within and outside of the Department. The complexity of the needs of society, the present awareness of social problems, and the scrutiny being applied to the use of public and private funds for these purposes dictates that viable interagency relationships must become the rule rather than the exception. Since the late 1970's USDA agencies have worked to expand cooperative efforts and establish mechanisms that facilitate coordination. This presentation will highlight the diversity of consumer needs for nutrition education, give examples of how the unique contributions of each USDA agency combine to meet consumer needs and discuss the major organizational structures which support interagency coordination.