ASSESSING THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF THE FDPIR FOOD PACKAGE.

SEC. 4211. ASSESSING THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF THE FDPIR FOOD PACKAGE.(a) In General.—Section 4 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2013) is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:“(b) Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.—“(1) In general.—Distribution of commodities, with or without the supplemental nutrition assistance program, shall be made whenever a request for concurrent or separate food program operations, respectively, is made by a tribal organization.“(2) Administration.—“(A) In general.—Subject to subparagraphs (B) and (C), in the event of distribution on all or part of an Indian reservation, the appropriate agency of the State government in the area involved shall be responsible for the distribution.“(B) Administration by tribal organization.—If the Secretary determines that a tribal organization is capable of effectively and efficiently administering a distribution described in paragraph (1), then the tribal organization shall administer the distribution.“(C) Prohibition.—The Secretary shall not approve any plan for a distribution described in paragraph (1) that permits any household on any Indian reservation to participate simultaneously in the supplemental nutrition assistance program and the program established under this subsection.“(3) Disqualified participants.—An individual who is disqualified from participation in the food distribution program on Indian reservations under this subsection is not eligible to participate in the supplemental nutrition assistance program under this Act for a period of time to be determined by the Secretary.“(4) Administrative costs.—The Secretary is authorized to pay such amounts for administrative costs and distribution costs on Indian reservations as the Secretary finds necessary for effective administration of such distribution by a State agency or tribal organization.“(5) Bison meat.—Subject to the availability of appropriations to carry out this paragraph, the Secretary may purchase bison meat for recipients of food distributed under this subsection, including bison meat from—“(A) Native American bison producers; and“(B) producer–owned cooperatives of bison ranchers.“(6) Traditional and locally-grown food fund.—“(A) In general.—Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall establish a fund for use in purchasing traditional and locally-grown foods for recipients of food distributed under this subsection.“(B) Native american producers.—Where practicable, of the food provided under subparagraph (A), at 122 STAT. 1885 least 50 percent shall be produced by Native American farmers, ranchers, and producers.“(C) Definition of traditional and locally grown.—The Secretary shall determine the definition of the term ‘traditional and locally-grown’ with respect to food distributed under this paragraph.“(D) Survey.—In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary shall—“(i) survey participants of the food distribution program on Indian reservations established under this subsection to determine which traditional foods are most desired by those participants; and“(ii) purchase or offer to purchase those traditional foods that may be procured cost-effectively.“(E) Report.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this paragraph, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report describing the activities carried out under this paragraph during the preceding calendar year.“(F) Authorization of appropriations.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this paragraph $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.”.(b) FDPIR Food Package.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that describes—(1) how the Secretary derives the process for determining the food package under the food distribution program on Indian reservations established under section 4(b) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2013(b)) (referred to in this subsection as the “food package”);(2) the extent to which the food package—(A) addresses the nutritional needs of low-income Native Americans compared to the supplemental nutrition assistance program, particularly for very low-income households;(B) conforms (or fails to conform) to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans published under section 301 of the National Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5341);(C) addresses (or fails to address) the nutritional and health challenges that are specific to Native Americans; and(D) is limited by distribution costs or challenges in infrastructure; and(3)(A) any plans of the Secretary to revise and update the food package to conform with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including any costs associated with the planned changes; or(B) if the Secretary does not plan changes to the food package, the rationale of the Secretary for retaining the food package.122 STAT. 1886