Gillibrand: federal grant to boost nutrition education at Cornell

ITHACA, N.Y. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded Cornell University a federal grant for more than $850,000, which designates it as a regional center of excellence for research and nutrition education.

The USDA allocated the funding, while the supplemental nutrition-assistance program-education (SNAP-Ed) and the expanded food and nutrition-education program (EFNEP) are providing support.

Cornell will use the funding to implement programs that boost nutrition research and combat obesity.

The office of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) announced the grant funding in a news release distributed on Oct. 17.

The USDA grant allows Cornell to “greatly enhance” existing efforts to build evidence for the effectiveness of nutrition-education programs such as EFNEP and SNAP-Ed, Alan Mathios, the Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean of the College of Human Ecology at Cornell, said Gillibrand in the news release.

Delivered through Cornell Cooperative Extension, the programs reached more than 175,000 underserved families across New York last year.

“Building on pilot studies at Cornell, through this grant we will also embark on innovative research to better understand how nutrition-education programs delivered along with simple changes in such environments as schools, worksites, and communities may work in combination to encourage healthier lifestyles. We look forward to working with our research and extension colleagues in the Northeast region to advance the work of this center,” said Mathios.

This program will run through a joint partnership between the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the department’s Food and Nutrition Service, according to Gillibrand.

As a regional center of excellence for research and nutrition education, Cornell will administer at least one research project and will have an opportunity to award sub-grants for projects in the region.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com