WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will become the 52nd state agency to operate the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP). The program is part of USDA's efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of seniors, ensuring that all older Americans have access to healthy food.
"Seniors represent a particularly vulnerable demographic to food insecurity, with unique health, social, and nutrition challenges," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "This issue has a particular importance for seniors living in rural areas, as America's rural population is older than the nation overall and rural seniors experience higher poverty than seniors nationwide. The Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program is one way USDA is working to improve the health and wellbeing of older adults, ensuring that all older Americans have access to healthy food."……
