USDA - UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
The USDA was founded in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln
to help farmers and ranchers.
Today, their focus extends far beyond that to encompass
conservation, overseeing our national forests, food safety,
research and ensuring open markets for U.S. agricultural
products.
USDA PUBLICATIONS
There were many food and nutritional informational booklets
and leaflets published by the United States Department of
Agriculture over the last century.
Some of the more popular bulletins are: Agriculture
Information Bulletins (AIG), Home and Garden Bulletins (HGB),
and Farmer's Bulletins (FB).
Before the Internet, the publications could be ordered
by mail from a small paper catalog or they were available from
extension agents. Today, the USDA has
a website and an online bookstore.
Please note that many of the older publications are out of
print and are no longer available from the Government Printing
Office. Some of the booklets still contain valuable
information, however. Good sources for finding
these older titles are used bookstores, online bookstores,
Ebay and antique shops.
Your local library or county extension agent may also have
copies that are available for you to look at or borrow.
Some of the current publications are available in PDF
format for online viewing or printing.
The book lists shown in the links below are only the
titles that relate to food and nutrition. They do not by
any means comprise a list of all USDA publications.
List of Farmer's Bulletins
List of Home and Garden Bulletins
List of Agriculture Information Bulletins
USDA AGENCIES
There are several different agencies within the USDA that
focus on our food and nutrition that may be helpful to you:
Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) - food labeling, organic food, food grading
Agricultural Research
Services (ARS) - research in crop and livestock production and
protection and human nutrition
Center for Nutrition
Policy and Promotion (CNPP) - dietary guidance, food
pyramids
Food and Nutrition
Information Center (FNIC) - a great resource for online
global nutrition information
Food
Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) - food safety
education
Look around the main USDA
website for more information--it's your tax dollars at
work, so you may as well use the resources available to you!
FOOD RECALLS
If you're interested in food recalls, you can look here
for current USDA recall reviews.
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