Global Child Nutrition Month

As we discussed in our previous blog post in March on National Nutrition Month, food insecurity is serious problem in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research, in its study Food Security in the U.S. – Key Statistics & Graphics, defines food insecurity this way:

At times during the year, these households were uncertain of having or unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food. Food-insecure households include those with low food security and very low food security.”

In 2023, 17.9% of households with children in the United States were food insecure.

Food Insecurity Around the World

And the problem isn’t just local.

“The USDA has developed the Economic Research Service that was deployed into 76 low and middle- income countries,” says Colin Diamond, senior manager. “This research found some of the most prominent reasons for food insecurity are:

The number of adults living in the household.
Rural vs. urban living.
Their country’s gross domestic product.

Until recently, measuring food insecurity in reliable and consistent ways was not possible. In 2014, that changed when the United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Voices of the Hungry project “developed an experiential measure of food insecurity, the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES). The FIES is the first standardized measure of people’s direct experiences of food insecurity appropriate for application on a global scale.”

That research indicates that food insecurity at some level is present in every country around the world, and UNICEF reports that countries in Africa are especially hard hit, as are several others affected by poverty, political unrest and other factors, such as epidemics, natural disasters. (see infographic)

The numbers are shocking and tell a deeply troubling story. Food insecurity anywhere poses difficult problems that require equally compelling solutions.

Strengthening U.S. Nutrition Program Oversight – A Case Study Approach

To that very important end, food programs around the country, and the people who manage them, work hard every day to address these issues at the local community level. And we at Myers and Stauffer are deeply committed to helping.

We are proud of our people and the purpose-driven work they do every day to help our clients, who serve some of the nation’s most vulnerable people. The values that inspire these missions inform all we do on our clients’ behalf.

Backed by skilled and experienced professionals who share the deeply held conviction that what they do matters in the lives of the people our clients serve, we work hard to deliver positive outcomes for children and adults who depend on nutrition services provided by state agencies.

With those things in mind, we invite you to read the following case studies that demonstrate the work we do for clients and the positive difference it makes in the lives of children around the country.

Case Study #1:

Child and Adult Food Care Program (CACFP) and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP)

Client Needs Leads to Engagement
One of our largest projects, in both size and scope, is our engagement with a state client and its department of education to provide CACFP and SFSP administrative reviews. The purpose of these reviews is to assess compliance with federal regulations, which ensures proper nutrition, delivery, and ongoing funding and program participation. In addition to this engagement being our largest nutrition program project, it was, for several years, also one of the most urgent. The timeline to complete the review work was compressed, and much of it was done in only a few months.
Our Solutions
In 2018, our first year performing administrative reviews, we successfully completed 213 individual on-site reviews for a total of 173 sponsoring organization audits between June and August of 2018. During this engagement, we demonstrated our ability to learn a new subject matter while leveraging our existing project management and auditing skills to successfully execute and complete all reviews within the contracted timeline.
Benefit to the Client
We helped our client achieve their goals with our reviews, which highlighted areas of concern and findings to be addressed, all necessary to maintain compliance and continue service delivery. We have received significant amounts of positive feedback from our state client, the provider community, and the USDA about the quality of those reviews.

Case Study #2:

CACFP Training

Client Needs Special Help
After successfully completing CACFP administrative reviews in 2023, one state client requested we help train their state agency staff on financial management and how it relates to child nutrition programs.
Our Solutions
For two days, we conducted on-site training of their staff on financial management and its significant role in all child nutrition programs. The training included how to review financial statements for CACFPs and SFSPs, how to determine non-profit status within each program, and how to ensure appropriate use of program funds.
Benefit to the Client
We helped our client achieve their goals with our reviews, which highlighted areas of concern and findings to be addressed, all necessary to maintain compliance and continue service delivery. We have received significant amounts of positive feedback from our state client, the provider community, and the USDA about the quality of those reviews.

Case Study #3:

National School Lunch Program Compliance Reviews

Our work with the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is relatively new, starting in October of 2024. Currently, the engagement is focused on program compliance by determining if SFAs properly procured vendors that provide goods and services for the NSLP.

There exist procurement categories (i.e. micro, small purchase/informal, and formal) that follow established regulations on the procurement process. The types of services vary widely and include catering companies, food service management companies, supplies for serving food, cleaning supplies, meal tracking systems, appliances, and kitchen repairs, among others.

The type and size of the schools vary as well. Some large districts are feeding thousands of children, while others are small, feeding only about 25 children. There are several SFAs located in remote locations or on tribal lands or reservations, making completive procurement challenging. Overall, the goal is that each SFA should be looking for ways to competitively procure vendors to ensure the best services at the lowest to support NSLP.

Client Challenges
State staff were performing both the NSLP administrative and procurement reviews together and then received feedback from the USDA about their procurement reviews. They decided to outsource the procurement reviews, while the state staff still conducted the administrative reviews, both of which allowed for more accurate and complete reviews.
Our Solutions
We are using our experience to take on these procurement reviews on behalf of the state. As we do, we are identifying ways to better perform this work and ensure the SFAs are following program regulations.
Benefit to the Client
The state is looking for our recommendations to improve and enforce compliance so that they can demonstrate to the USDA that they are addressing its concerns. This helps ensure continued funding and ongoing program delivery for the benefit of children in need.