WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced its intent to designate the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as a “protection zone,” a World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) designation that allows the United States to maintain its current animal health status should there be a detection of African swine fever (ASF) or […]
Tag: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Food Stamp Recipients Will Get 25% More Benefits By October, Biden Says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s administration has approved a significant and permanent increase in the levels of food aid available to needy families — the largest single increase in the program’s history. Starting in October, average benefits for food stamps — officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — will rise more […]
USDA Monitoring Outbreak Of African Swine Fever In The Dominican Republic
SANTO DOMINGO — The Dominican Republic’s agriculture ministry is restricting pig shipments and mobilizing the military to contain the spread of African swine fever as the United States and Mexico tightened border checks to avoid infections. U.S. testing of 389 samples from Dominican hogs raised on farms and in backyards indicate the contagious disease is […]
SNAP Benefits Ended June 30 For 499 USVI Households Over Recertification Issue
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Department of Human Services’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, today announced that 499 households were not re-certified for SNAP benefits and were therefore not issued SNAP benefits on July 1, 2021. The Department is working diligently with its federal partners to launch the second issuance of the regular July […]
Human Services Says 3rd Round of P-EBT Food Stamps Has Been Approved By USDA
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) approved the VI Plan to issue Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) to children of current Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) households and non-SNAP households. This third round of P-EBT financial nutrition assistance will cover […]
2021 Summer Feeding Program Details Announced By VIDE
CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Virgin Islands Department of Education’s School Food Authorities have announced details of the 2021 Summer Feeding Program. St. Croix District Families with children attending public and non-public schools may pick up meals, now through July 15, Mon.-Fri., from 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m., or until supplies last: Arthur A. Richards K8 School St. […]
HOLY GUACAMOLE! People Just Want To Get Their Hands On Long Neck Avocados
What if we told you there’s an avocado so long you’d need an entire baguette to make avocado toast with it? Because we are actually telling you that. Recently, a photo of an avocado nearly as long as a human arm went viral — attracting attention as far away as Australia. But what exactly is this […]
World Food Prize Goes To Nutrition Expert In Fish Research From Trinidad
DES MOINES, Iowa — A nutrition expert who pioneered innovative ways of raising fish rich in micronutrients and fatty acids and incorporating them into diets in developing countries was named the recipient of the World Food Prize on Tuesday. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, 71, who grew up in Trinidad & Tobago and later became a citizen […]
KANGAROO DANGER-ROUX! Shoppers Warned To Read Label When Buying Oxtail
FREDERIKSTED — When buying oxtail in supermarkets on the U.S. mainland and locally be sure you are not getting kangaroo tail masquerading as beef, one concerned reader said today. “Don’t let me stop you from eating kangaroos tails,” Artie Cuban warned on Facebook. “You been eating it for years and gulp it up in your […]
Joe Biden’s Presidential Executive Order Could Benefit SNAP Beneficiaries Through P-EBT, DHS Says
FREDERIKSTED — In light of President Joe Biden’s Executive Order to boost food assistance for children missing school meals, the Department of Human Services’ SNAP office is awaiting additional guidance from the United States Department of Agriculture, Food & Nutrition Services (FNS). DHS is asking USDA when and if additional benefits will be provided for […]