The Emergency Food Assistance Program

This program was explicitly authorized by the Congress in 1983 when funding was provided to assist states with the costs involved in storing and distributing the commodities.

TEFAP was first authorized as the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program in 1981 and continues to be administered federally by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

[5] TEFAP is a federal program in the United States that helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans, including elderly people, by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance at no cost.

[5] These local organizations distribute USDA Foods to eligible recipients for household consumption or use them to prepare and serve meals in a congregate setting.

TEFAP is administered at the Federal level by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), an agency of the USDA.

TEFAP has the flexibility to deploy USDA Foods quickly to areas of need since it is a program with an existing emergency feeding network.

[6] After hunger-activist groups had become upset with the Reagan Administration's cuts to the Food Stamp Program (FSP) in 1981, the administration responded by enacting the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1982 which allowed for surpluses of dairy products (cheese) to be given by states to public and private organizations that then donated these products to low-income families.

[9] In the first six years of TEFAP, the United States Federal Government (through USDA) funded the program by contributing $50 million annually towards administrative (and distribution) costs.

[9] The federal government has since provided funding for administrative costs and has purchased food commodities for the program.

[5] There are numerous perceived economic effects and outcomes that The Emergency Food Assistance Program produces:[2] TEFAP impacts the way both users and non-users of the program consume goods and services;[2] prices of commodities (including those not distributed through TEFAP) are also slightly effected.

[3] Furthermore, the study found that unemployed users are more inclined to hold negative attitudes about the program; while full-time workers, retirees, and disabled persons (people who cannot work due to disability) considered the program beneficial because it allowed them to expand their food budget and use excess money on other needs.

[9][4] Rural agencies often receive fewer donations under TEFAP due to the fact that they include a smaller network of volunteer support compared to urban cities.

The types of foods USDA purchases for TEFAP vary depending on the preferences of States and on agricultural market conditions.