The Nutrition and Physical Fitness Bureau:

• Improves access to healthy, affordable food through federally and locally funded programs that provide benefits, financial incentives, and direct distribution of healthy food.
• Implements evidence-based interventions related to nutrition education, physical activity promotion and obesity prevention grounded in cultural understanding.
• Integrates nutrition into healthcare and strengthens referral pathways between nutrition services, healthcare and community-based organizations to help prevent and manage diet-related diseases.
• Improves food environments across retail stores, farmers markets, workplaces, hospitals, schools and early childhood education.
• Engages partners to guide statewide healthy eating, active living and healthy weight efforts.
• Increases services and resources to support families who are breastfeeding.
• Supports policies and practices in health care, workplace and childcare settings that promote breastfeeding.

Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs

• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) – Provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, healthy foods, and referrals to healthcare and other community services to pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and children. All families are welcome, including foster parents, grandparents, fathers, working families, same-sex couples, and adoptive families. WIC participants also receive benefits to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmers market during the summer months through the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP).
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) teaches people how to shop for and cook healthy meals on a limited budget. In addition, SNAP-Ed implements policies, systems, and environmental approaches aimed at improving access to healthy food.
• Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), also known as Grocery Plus, provides residents aged 60+ with monthly, shelf-stable groceries and nutrition education.  CSFP participants also receive vouchers to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmers market during the summer months through the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program.
• The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a federally funded program that assists with supplementing the diets of low-income Americans, including the elderly, by providing them with emergency nutrition assistance at no cost.
• WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program aim to expand the awareness and use of farmers’ markets by providing fresh fruits and vegetables to pregnant and postpartum women, infants (6-12 months), children (under age 5) and seniors.
• More information about federal nutrition programs listed by age group, in multiple languages, is available below:
  • Infants
  • Children Age 2–5
  • Children Age 6–18
  • Children with Disabilities
  • Pregnant Women
  • Adults
  • Adults with Disabilities
  • Older Adults
• Learn what federal nutrition programs you qualify for in DC through the DC Federal Nutrition Programs Eligibility Estimator Tool.

Local Nutrition Assistance Programs

• Produce Plus Program provides eligible DC residents with $40 per month to spend on local produce at participating farmer’s markets and farm stands throughout DC.
• Healthy Corner Stores Program partners with corner stores in Wards 5, 7, and 8 to stock fresh produce at below market prices and provides SNAP customers with coupons to purchase healthy food.
• Joyful Food Markets are monthly pop-up markets held in 53 elementary schools in Wards 7 and 8 where families can shop at no cost for a variety of produce items and pantry staples.
• Food and Friends provides medically tailored, home-delivered meals, groceries, and nutrition counseling to DC residents living with life-challenging illnesses and their caregivers.