Strengthening statewide collaboration to advance nutrition security and healthy communities
About SNACs
State Nutrition Action Councils (SNACs) bring together state agencies, nonprofits, universities, and community partners to coordinate nutrition programs and initiatives. Historically, these councils were supported by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) funding, which helped establish statewide models for collaboration and resource alignment.
While federal funding is no longer active, SNACs continue to strengthen partnerships, improve efficiency, reduce duplication across agencies, and advance coordinated approaches to nutrition education, food access, and chronic disease prevention.
Diet-related chronic disease affects more than one-third of adults in the United States, contributing to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and certain cancers. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated, evidence-based strategies that make healthy eating and active living accessible to all communities.
Explore the Resource Library:
Learn how states across the country are using collaboration, partnership, and coordinated planning to strengthen nutrition security and improve public health outcomes.
Why SNACs Matter
State Nutrition Action Councils help strengthen coordination across agencies, organizations, and community partners working to improve nutrition security, increase food access, and prevent diet-related chronic disease.
By bringing together public health agencies, nonprofits, universities, healthcare organizations, and community leaders, SNACs create opportunities to share resources, reduce duplication, align priorities, and advance coordinated statewide strategies. These collaborations help identify gaps, elevate promising practices, and build stronger systems that better support communities experiencing food insecurity and health inequities.
SNACs also provide a platform for innovation, peer learning, and collective action. Across the country, SNACs have supported initiatives such as community gardens, farmers market access programs, statewide resource hubs, healthy retail efforts, and network mapping activities that strengthen cross-sector coordination and community impact.
To support this work, the SNAC Toolkit was developed to help states build and sustain effective cross-program partnerships. The toolkit includes guidance on partnership development, governance structures, communication strategies, planning processes, and collaborative implementation approaches that strengthen statewide nutrition initiatives. A collection of SNAC success stories also showcases how states have leveraged collaboration and shared leadership to improve food and nutrition security outcomes across diverse communities.
California SNAC
Statewide collaborative supporting food security, nutrition education, and healthy community strategies.
Colorado SNAC
Statewide collaboration focused on nutrition security and shared initiatives across programs.
Georgia SNAC
Statewide partnership focused on coordinated decision-making and aligned nutrition initiatives.
