Title 7, AgricultureRelease 119-110
§7501 Definitions
Title 7 › CHAPTER 102 — EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE › § 7501
Summary
Defines key words used by the program and explains who can give and get food help. Additional commodities means extra food supplies made available beyond the program’s regular shipments. Average monthly number of unemployed persons means the State-by-State average monthly unemployment for the most recent fiscal year as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Eligible recipient agency means a public or nonprofit group that runs emergency feeding, charitable institutions (like hospitals or retirement homes, not prisons), child nutrition or summer-camp food programs, Older Americans Act nutrition projects, or disaster relief programs, and that is designated by the State or the Secretary and approved by the Secretary. Emergency feeding organization means a public or nonprofit group (for example, a food bank, pantry, soup kitchen, or similar group) that gives food to people in urgent need, including low-income and unemployed people. Food bank means an institution that supplies food to pantries, soup kitchens, or feeding centers that regularly feed needy people. Food pantry means a nonprofit that distributes food to low-income and unemployed households, including food from other sources. Poverty line means the federal poverty level as defined elsewhere in law. Soup kitchen means a place that regularly feeds needy homeless people. Total value of additional commodities and value allocated to each State mean the actual costs the Secretary pays for those extra foods, including distribution and processing.
Full Legal Text
Title 7, §7501
Agriculture, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
In this chapter:
(1)Additional commodities
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)Average monthly number of unemployed persons
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)Eligible recipient agency
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)Emergency feeding organization
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)Food bank
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)Food pantry
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)Poverty line
The term “poverty line” has the meaning provided in section 9902(2) of title 42.
(8)Soup kitchen
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)Total value of additional commodities
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)Value of additional commodities allocated to each State
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 7, Agriculture
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110