Contract # AG-3198-C-15-0004

For immediate release

June 8, 2015

2M Research Services, LLC (2M) has been selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service Division (FNS) as the awardee of a 5-year, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) $10 million contract to provide quick response surveys for FNS’s Special Nutrition Programs. The objective of this contract is to develop a new system for succinct, quick-turnaround studies on FNS’ Special Nutrition Programs. FNS’ Special Nutrition Programs (SNP), include the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, the Special Milk Program, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, the Summer Food Service Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Food Distribution Programs.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women and to infants and children up to age 5 who are found to be at nutritional risk.

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is a Federally assisted meal program operating in over 100,000 public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. FNS administers the program at the Federal level. At the State level, the NSLP is usually administered by State education agencies, which operate the program through agreements with school food authorities (SFAs). School districts that participate in NSLP receive cash subsidies and donated commodities from USDA for each meal they serve.

The School Breakfast Program (SBP) is a Federally assisted meal program administered by the Food and Nutrition Service that is operating in over 89,000 public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. In 2011, more than 12 million children received a school breakfast each day. More than 80 percent of these meals were served to low-income children certified for free or reduced-price meals.

The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) provides free fresh fruits and vegetables to students in participating elementary schools during the school day. The fresh fruits and vegetables are provided separately from the lunch or breakfast meal in one or more areas of the school. The goal of FFVP is to improve children’s overall diet and create healthier eating habits to impact their present and future health.

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) was established to ensure that low-income children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. Free meals that meet Federal nutrition guidelines are provided to all children 18 years old and under at approved SFSP sites in areas with significant concentrations of low-income children.

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) plays a vital role in providing children and adults with access to adequate food while improving the quality and affordability of day care for low-income families. The program subsidizes nutritious meals and snacks served to children and adults in participating day care facilities. Meals are also provided to children in emergency shelters and eligible after school programs. Providers are reimbursed for each qualifying meal or snack they serve to program participants.

The Food Distribution Programs include the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). CSFP works to improve the health of low-income pregnant and breastfeeding women, other new mothers up to one year postpartum, infants, children up to age 6, and elderly people at least 60 years of age, by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA commodity foods. It provides food and administrative funds to States to supplement the diets of these groups.

FDPIR is a Federal program that provides commodity foods to low-income households, including the elderly living on Indian reservations, and to Native American families residing in designated areas near reservations. Under TEFAP, commodity foods are made available by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to States. States provide the food to local agencies that they have selected, usually food banks, which in turn distribute the food to soup kitchens and food pantries that directly serve the public.

About 2M Research Services, LLC                                     

Headquartered in Arlington, Texas, with additional offices in Atlanta and Washington, DC, 2M Research Services, LLC is one of the fastest growing private small business professional services firms in the country. We provide our clients in Federal government agencies, foundations, and the health care industry with high-impact consulting expertise on complex survey research, data analytics, and program evaluation projects. 2M’s staff include subject matter experts in population health, disease surveillance, social policy, applied econometrics, survey research, health economics, clinical research, observational research, biostatistics, spatial statistics (GIS), pharmacoeconomics, education policy, housing policy, program support, and program evaluations. For more information on 2M or the services we provide, please visit us at www.2mresearchservices.com or call at 855.328.1611.