Naomi Jennings is a law student in the HLS Food Law & Policy Clinic and a guest contributor to this blog. According to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), “[u]p to 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic, impacting the health of both humans and animals.” Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) placed antimicrobial resistance on…
Vrushab Gowda is a law student in the Harvard Law School Food Law & Policy Clinic and guest contributor on this blog. In a matter of months, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has thrust telehealth into the national limelight. It has proven indispensable in delivering virtual care to patients across the country, particularly in low-resource settings across rural America. In…
Ava Cilia is a law student in the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic and guest contributor on this blog. Last week, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. The Plan includes historic provisions to address generations of systemic racism and discrimination towards “socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers” (SDFRs) by…
Clara Geffroy is a law student at NYU School of Law and guest contributor on this blog. Congress recently passed a continuing resolution (CR) extending about $1.4 trillion in government funding until December 11, 2020. This comes after a period of conflicting political interests regarding a full replenishment of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), which provides funding to the United…
Mariana Munera is a law student at NYU School of Law and guest contributor on this blog. The USDA Farmers to Families Program is now entering its fourth round of funding with an additional $500 Million in funding. The program originally started as a way to bridge the gap between farmers, who lost business from restaurants, hotels, and other sources…
Oscar Heanue is a law student in the Food Law & Policy Clinic of Harvard Law School and guest contributor on this blog. Thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Online Purchasing Pilot, participants in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) are now able to use their benefits online for the first time in the program’s history. However, although…
Tanya Shahjanian is a law student at NYU School of Law and guest contributor on this blog. As the COVID-19 pandemic—and the resulting economic instability—persist into the fall season, underserved populations in the United States continue to suffer financially. Food insecurity remains high, and millions of families continue to rely on various federal food assistance programs to get by. Fears…
Katie Smith is a law student at NYU School of Law and guest contributor on this blog. COVID-19 is forcing the United States to become an even more internet-dependent society, and rural and Tribal communities are increasingly being left behind. As of 2016, over 30% of rural Americans and over 35% of Americans living on Tribal lands did not have…
Alexander Langer is a law student at NYU School of Law and guest contributor on this blog. After years of steadily rising global food security, more people will go hungry this year because of COVID-19 and the related global economic crisis. However, the global food system that is so vulnerable to these shocks continues to chug along, and U.S. global…
Hannah Yang is a law student at NYU School of Law and guest contributor on this blog. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s mission is “to increase food security and reduce hunger.” As part of its mission, it oversees the National School Lunch Program, which provides free or reduced lunch for eligible students while school is in session. The Summer…