Agricultural Marketing Service

Quality Monitoring Program Expands to Olive Oil

Olive oil and fresh olives. Photo courtesy Pompeian, Inc.

There have been a lot of questions over the last few years about the quality and purity of olive oil. USDA has expanded our Quality Monitoring Program to include extra virgin and organic extra virgin olive oil. This program already evaluates a variety of commodities including canned, frozen and certain fresh fruits and vegetables.

Columbia Heights Built It, Now the Fruit Will Come

Students from Columbia Heights Educational Campus participate in the symbolic first dig.

Students at the Columbia Heights Educational Campus (CHEC) will soon be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. The District of Columbia Daughters of the American Revolution (D.C. DAR) partnered with USDA to bring a People's Garden to this school in Washington, D.C.

Organic 101: What the USDA Organic Label Means

Amidst nutrition facts, ingredients lists, and dietary claims on food packages, "organic" might appear as one more piece of information to decipher when shopping for foods. So understanding what "organic" really means can help shoppers make informed choices during their next visit to the store or farmers market.

The Best Food Distribution Models for Small and Mid-Sized Farmers

Small and mid-size farmers are the backbone of farmers markets, but they often face particular obstacles when trying to sell products in markets like grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals, and schools. Through the Transportation and Marketing program at USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), we explored this issue in our recent study, Moving Food Along the Value Chain: Innovations in Regional Food Distribution.