Nutrition
In FY 2025, AgriLife Extension Family and Community Health educators and volunteers conducted more than 21,100 educational events on nutrition topics, resulting in over 1.4 million direct contacts. Nutrition programs equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to make healthy choices that lead to improved health outcomes for adults and youth. The following examples illustrate how AgriLife Extension’s programs impact lives in meaningful ways.
Better Living for Texans
AgriLife Extension’s Better Living for Texans Program (BLT), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) focused on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, promoting healthier eating patterns, increasing physical activity, adopting food resource management skills, and improving food safety practices. In FY 2025, the program reached over 1.8 million limited-resource individuals through direct and indirect education, policy, systems, and environmental change initiatives, and social marketing. BLT partnered with 274 community organizations across 156 counties and received more than $7.8 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. The program’s impact includes significant increases in fruit and vegetable consumption among participants, with 72% using MyPlate for food choices and 85% using nutrition labels. Additionally, 40% of participants met guidelines for moderate physical activity and 45% improved their knowledge of growing fruits and vegetables.
On July 4, 2025, the United States Congress passed a budget reconciliation bill eliminating federal SNAP-Ed funding and the BLT program. For the past 30 years, dedicated county-based agents and educators delivered programs that created tangible, lasting impacts and made a difference in the Texas communities served.
BLT reached 57,657 adults and youth through 14,341 in-person direct education sessions, adopted 767 multi-level policy, systems, and environmental changes primarily through school and community gardening programs, and reached 1,784,378 contacts through newsletters, health fairs, social media, and other channels.
Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program
The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) aims to support young families and youth with limited resources by providing practical lessons in nutrition, food preparation, budget management, and food safety. The program focuses on those most at risk of hunger and food insecurity, helping them improve their eating behaviors and healthy food habits. In FY 2025, EFNEP made significant strides, with 96% of participants making positive changes in their diet, 55,216 youth educational contacts, and 6,961 families enrolled. The program also benefited from the contributions of 1,209 volunteers who completed 16,243 hours of service, valued at $545,602. EFNEP’s adult program emphasizes hands-on experiences to enhance food budgeting, eating habits, and food safety, leading to increased meal preparation at home, better portion control, and more physical activity.
The youth program targets low-income school-age children, offering engaging lessons on nutrition and food safety through various educational activities.
As a result, 92% of participants improved their food resource management, 79% enhanced their food safety practices, and 74% increased their physical activity.
We have cut down on buying foods with high sodium and sugar after taking this class. When my daughter wants a snack, we read the label before we buy it.”
Dinner Tonight
AgriLife Extension’s Dinner Tonight program provides healthy recipes for Texans while building self-efficacy in meal planning, healthy cooking techniques, and food safety. The program features dynamic, user-friendly recipe cards with high-resolution photos and videos, along with diverse, filterable recipe categories. Dinner Tonight emphasizes food safety by offering evidence-based best practices and practical tips for food preparation, cooking, and storage. The program also includes in-person and virtual cooking school demonstrations, supported by web-based continuing education resources. Designed for mealtime decision-makers, Dinner Tonight aims to increase confidence in planning meals, preparing
healthy foods, and applying safe food-handling practices. Its impact extends beyond individual participants to their families, co-workers, and friends. In FY 2025, the program reached 4,618 participants and demonstrated meaningful behavior change. Fifty-nine percent of participants reported increased confidence in meal planning, nearly 60% felt more confident modifying recipes to reduce salt, sugar, and fat, and 98% of surveyed participants indicated that they or their families benefited from the program.