Title 7AgricultureRelease 119-73

§7501 Definitions

Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 102— - EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE › § 7501

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines key words used in the chapter about giving food to people in need. "Additional commodities" are extra foods provided under section 7515 beyond those under sections 7502 and 7507. "Average monthly number of unemployed persons" is each State's average monthly unemployed for the most recent fiscal year with available data, as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. An "eligible recipient agency" is a public or nonprofit group that runs certain feeding programs (like emergency feeding, charitable institutions that serve needy people, summer camps or child nutrition, Older Americans Act nutrition projects, or disaster relief), is named by the State agency or the Secretary, and approved by the Secretary. "Emergency feeding organization," "food bank," "food pantry," and "soup kitchen" are short descriptions of the kinds of groups that give food to needy, low-income, or homeless people. "Poverty line" means the level in 42 U.S.C. 9902(2). "Total value of additional commodities" and "value of additional commodities allocated to each State" mean the actual costs paid by the Secretary, including distribution and processing.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §7501

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In this chapter:
(1)The term “additional commodities” means commodities made available under section 7515 of this title in addition to the commodities made available under section 7502 and 7507 of this title.
(2)The term “average monthly number of unemployed persons” means the average monthly number of unemployed persons in each State during the most recent fiscal year for which information concerning the number of unemployed persons is available, as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.
(3)The term “eligible recipient agency” means a public or nonprofit organization that—
(A)administers—
(i)an emergency feeding organization;
(ii)a charitable institution (including a hospital and a retirement home, but excluding a penal institution) to the extent that the institution serves needy persons;
(iii)a summer camp for children, or a child nutrition program providing food service;
(iv)a nutrition project operating under the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.), including a project that operates a congregate nutrition site and a project that provides home-delivered meals; or
(v)a disaster relief program;
(B)has been designated by the appropriate State agency, or by the Secretary; and
(C)has been approved by the Secretary for participation in the program established under this chapter.
(4)The term “emergency feeding organization” means a public or nonprofit organization that administers activities and projects (including the activities and projects of a charitable institution, a food bank, a food pantry, a hunger relief center, a soup kitchen, or a similar public or private nonprofit eligible recipient agency) providing nutrition assistance to relieve situations of emergency and distress through the provision of food to needy persons, including low-income and unemployed persons.
(5)The term “food bank” means a public or charitable institution that maintains an established operation involving the provision of food or edible commodities, or the products of food or edible commodities, to food pantries, soup kitchens, hunger relief centers, or other food or feeding centers that, as an integral part of their normal activities, provide meals or food to feed needy persons on a regular basis.
(6)The term “food pantry” means a public or private nonprofit organization that distributes food to low-income and unemployed households, including food from sources other than the Department of Agriculture, to relieve situations of emergency and distress.
(7)The term “poverty line” has the meaning provided in section 9902(2) of title 42.
(8)The term “soup kitchen” means a public or charitable institution that, as an integral part of the normal activities of the institution, maintains an established feeding operation to provide food to needy homeless persons on a regular basis.
(9)The term “total value of additional commodities” means the actual cost of all additional commodities that are paid by the Secretary (including the distribution and processing costs incurred by the Secretary).
(10)The term “value of additional commodities allocated to each State” means the actual cost of additional commodities allocated to each State that are paid by the Secretary (including the distribution and processing costs incurred by the Secretary).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this Act”, meaning the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983, title II of Pub. L. 98–8, Mar. 24, 1983, 97 Stat. 35, which enacted this chapter and amended provisions set out as a note under section 612c of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out below and Tables. The Older Americans Act of 1965, referred to in par. (3)(A)(iv), is Pub. L. 89–73, July 14, 1965, 79 Stat. 218, which is classified generally to chapter 35 (§ 3001 et seq.) of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 3001 of Title 42 and Tables.

Amendments

1996—Pub. L. 104–193 amended section generally, substituting provisions containing an opening provision and pars. (1) to (10) defining “additional commodities”, “average monthly number of unemployed persons”, “eligible recipient agency”, “emergency feeding organization”, “food bank”, “food pantry”, “poverty line”, “soup kitchen”, “total value of additional commodities”, and “value of additional commodities allocated to each state” for an opening provision and pars. (1) to (6) defining “eligible recipient agencies”. 1985—Par. (1). Pub. L. 99–198 inserted before semicolon at end “(including the activities and projects of charitable institutions, food banks, hunger centers, soup kitchens, and similar public or private nonprofit eligible recipient agencies) hereinafter in this chapter referred to as ‘emergency feeding organizations’ ”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 98–92, § 2, Sept. 2, 1983, 97 Stat. 608, provided in part that the

Amendments

made by section 2 are effective Oct. 1, 1983.

Short Title

Pub. L. 98–8, title II, § 201, Mar. 24, 1983, 97 Stat. 35, as amended by Pub. L. 98–92, § 2(1), Sept. 2, 1983, 97 Stat. 608; Pub. L. 101–624, title XVII, § 1772(a)(2), Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 3808, provided that: “This title [enacting this chapter and amending provisions set out as a note under section 612c of this title] may be cited as the ‘Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983’, and is hereinafter in this title referred to as ‘this Act’.” Food Supply Chain and Agriculture Pandemic Response Pub. L. 117–2, title I, § 1001, Mar. 11, 2021, 135 Stat. 10, provided that: “(a) Appropriation.—In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture for fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $4,000,000,000, to remain available until expended, to carry out this section. “(b) Use of Funds.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall use the amounts made available pursuant to subsection (a)—“(1) to purchase food and agricultural commodities; “(2) to purchase and distribute agricultural commodities (including fresh produce, dairy, seafood, eggs, and meat) to individuals in need, including through delivery to nonprofit organizations and through restaurants and other food related entities, as determined by the Secretary, that may receive, store, process, and distribute food items; “(3) to make grants and loans for small or midsized food processors or distributors, seafood processing facilities and processing vessels, farmers markets, producers, or other organizations to respond to COVID–19, including for measures to protect workers against COVID–19; and “(4) to make loans and grants and provide other assistance to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency. “(c) Animal Health.—“(1) COVID–19 animal surveillance.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct monitoring and surveillance of susceptible animals for incidence of SARS–CoV–2. “(2) Funding.—Out of the amounts made available under subsection (a), the Secretary shall use $300,000,000 to carry out this subsection. “(d) Overtime Fees.—“(1) Small establishment; very small establishment definitions.—The terms ‘small establishment’ and ‘very small establishment’ have the meaning given those terms in the final rule entitled ‘Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems’ published in the Federal Register on
July 25, 1996 (61 Fed. Reg. 38806). “(2) Overtime inspection cost reduction.—Notwithstanding section 10703 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 2219a), the Act of
June 5, 1948 (21 U.S.C. 695), section 25 of the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 468), and section 24 of the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1053), and any

Regulations

promulgated by the Department of Agriculture implementing such provisions of law and subject to the availability of funds under paragraph (3), the Secretary of Agriculture shall reduce the amount of overtime inspection costs borne by federally-inspected small establishments and very small establishments engaged in meat, poultry, or egg products processing and subject to the requirements of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.), or the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1031 et seq.), for inspection activities carried out during the period of fiscal years 2021 through 2030. “(3) Funding.—Out of the amounts made available under subsection (a), the Secretary shall use $100,000,000 to carry out this subsection.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 7501

Title 7Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73