The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is a food and nutrition education program designed to help limited income families with children improve the adequacy of their daily diets through increased knowledge and skills.

During the past 25 years in Michigan, EFNEP has improved the nutritional status of more than 121,000 Michigan families.

The program is based on the fact that undernourished people, especially children, perform below their inherent abilities at home, in school or on the job. Most parents want to provide safe, nutritious food for their families. When they don't, it's often because of a lack of resources or insufficient food and nutrition knowledge.

EFNEP has had an impact in changing this. It has improved the diets of limited income families by teaching them to plan and prepare low-cost, nutritious meals and to eat a variety of foods in spite of very limited incomes.

EFNEP is administered through MSU Extension and managed by county-based MSU Extension home economists. The home economists train and supervise EFNEP nutrition instructors who do the actual teaching.

Many nutrition instructors are former EFNEP participants. One of the goals of the program is to hire and train program assistants from the indigenous target populations.

Homemakers learn in small groups or one-on-one. Most of the instruction takes place in the homes of the enrolled families, where lessons can be tailored to the participants' needs.

For more information about the Kalamazoo County Nutrition Program, contact the Extension Nutrition Education at byrdle@msu.edu or call (269) 384-8063.

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Other Links:

• USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion
• MSUE CYF Website
• US Food and Drug Administration
• US Dept. of Health/Human Services
• United States Dept. of Agriculture
• USDA National Agricultural Library, Food & Nutrition Information Center
  
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