Welcome to the Maryland Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)
The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) is a nutrition education program for food insecure limited-resource youth and families delivered through the Cooperative Extension Service in every state and U.S. territory. In Maryland, EFNEP is implemented through the University of Maryland Extension and is housed in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Maryland. EFNEP is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/ National Institute of Food and Agriculture and brings together federal, state, and local resources to teach limited-income families and youth about healthy eating and physical activity.
EFNEP helps families learn skills and strategies to feed their family nutritious meals on a limited budget, make healthier food choices at home and at the grocery store, improve food security and improve their overall health. The knowledge and skills acquired also help families and youth change behaviors that place them at long-term risk for overweight/obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.