The one in six Oregonians who rely on federal SNAP food and nutrition assistance to pay for groceries each month will be left with nothing in November due to the ongoing government shutdown, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Oregon Department of Human Services.

The federal government funds nearly all the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, with states administering the program. But USDA to states on Oct. 10 that they should not distribute November assistance if Congress’ lapse in appropriations continued, because there would be insufficient funding to send to states for their program beneficiaries.

On Monday, the USDA notified states that there would be no November funding, and Oregon’s human services agency on Monday notified recipients they would not be receiving the assistance after Oct. 31.

Oregon’s acting human services director, Liesl Wendt, said in a statement that they would keep SNAP recipients informed throughout the shutdown about any further delays or lapses in assistance beyond November.

“In the meantime, during this time of uncertainty, we encourage everyone who receives SNAP to familiarize themselves with the free food resources in their community and to make a plan for what they will do if they do not receive their food benefits in November on time” Wendt said.

More than 42 million Americans, and more than 750,000 Oregonians, rely on the program. Among Oregon recipients, more than one-quarter are children and nearly 20% are adults 65 and older.

“This is a cruel and unacceptable situation. President Trump should focus on feeding families by negotiating a deal with Congress, not doing other things like deploying troops in American cities on taxpayers’ dime,” Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Trump has said he would ensure back pay to federal immigration and border police, Transportation Security Administration police, Secret Service and FBI agents when the shutdown ends. He and his administration have not been clear about what assistance, if any, will be offered retroactively to SNAP beneficiaries when the shutdown ends.

USDA has already in tariff revenue into its Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, through Oct. 31.

The shutdown started Oct. 1 after Congress failed on a short-term government spending bill.

Senate Democrats have pushed for negotiations to extend enhanced tax credits meant to help Americans afford health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace, which are set to expire by the end of the year.

Republicans have insisted on passing a short-term government funding bill that does not address rising insurance premiums.

The GOP mega bill passed by Congressional Republicans in July includes $200 billion in cuts to SNAP during the next decade, along with new work and income requirements that are likely to cause about 2 million Americans to lose assistance, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Shumway for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com.

Some Iowa representatives want to ban margarine and certain food dyes from schools with a bill modeled closely after a law passed last year in California.

was discussed in an education subcommittee Wednesday. Representatives decided to amend the bill, which as introduced included margarine, Red Dye 40 and Yellow Dye 7, to be “more closely conforming” to the .

Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Fairfield, who chaired the subcommittee, to ban margarine and hydrogenated vegetable oils from schools. The 2023 proposal passed its subcommittee, but did not advance.

Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, opposed the margarine element of the bill, and argued research supports margarine is “just as healthy as butter.”

“If you’re arguing that corn oil and soybean oil is fundamentally unhealthy for our kids, that’s also an important part of the conversation to have, because that is kind of what we’re saying in here,” Matson said.

Matson said after further research into California’s law and the years of research from the state into associated health effects, she is “open to a conversation” about restricting the color additives.

Matson also questioned why the Iowa bill specified just Red Dye 40 and Yellow Dye 7, the latter of which, according to comment submitted by the International Association of Color Manufacturers, is not used in food or beverages.

The California law outlaws the dyes Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. The law also regulated the percentage of fats, sugars and saturated fats that could comprise a school meal, though these elements were not part of the Iowa representatives’ discussion.

Matson pointed out the California law passed years after the state funded an in which the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found synthetic food dyes can be linked to hyperactivity and neurobehavioral problems in children.

Matson said she was unwilling to sign off on the bill as is, but would be “willing to have a conversation on a bill that would be more thoughtfully put together.”

Rep. Brooke Boden, R-Indianola, said she was “extremely glad” the issue of food dye additives was before her and that she’d be the first to vote in favor of removing the synthetic dyes.

“I have a child who sees a neurologist, who asked us to remove food dye, and it significantly changed my child’s life,” Boden said.

Boden noted there has been movement on this effort at a federal level as well with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent ban of .

Representatives for Rural School Advocates of Iowa, Urban Education Network of Iowa, and Iowa State Education Association, who registered as undecided on the bill, said they felt positively about the direction of the bill, but wanted to know more information about how it would be implemented in Iowa schools and if there would be additional costs.

Shipley moved to amend the bill to more closely resemble the California law, and to keep margarine in the bill “for now,” noting it might be reasonable to split the issues into separate bills later.

“I think these are conversations that people of Iowa are wanting to have, and so I think it is incumbent on us to reflect that and make sure we are having as wide ranging a dialog as possible,” Shipley said.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com.

“They’re now graduated and in college…they came back [for] summer break. I had a couple of slices of coffee cake for them, and they were like, ‘Oh my gosh!’… because, you know it’s a famous thing,” said Heinz, a staff member at Marina Del Rey Middle School.

Stories like Heinz’s are not unique. LAUSD’s coffee cake is one of the most popular items on the district’s menu. Every year LA Unified serves up 800,000 slices of the coffee cake a year across 700 cafeterias, according to an LAIST .

The coffee cake recipe dates back to 1954 and has undergone several changes due to federal USDA regulations. Evelen Guirguis, who has been with the district for 30 years and is now the cafeteria manager at Marina del Rey Middle School, said shortening, an ingredient “high in calories and offers no nutritional benefits,” has since been cut out.

Baking more now that you are staying home? Remember the legendary LAUSD Old Fashioned Coffee Cake? Here is the original recipe from 1954. Photo credit: Danielle Chiriguaya.

— Los Angeles Unified (@LASchools)

“Before, the (ingredients) came from the government. Now we buy everything ourselves.” said Guirguis. “We have our own vendor now…[which] means we get the best [products] and everything is fresh,”

The current coffee cake recipe is expected to be updated again in the fall — because of a new set of federal regulations — cutting down on sugar. 

Meanwhile the iconic cake remains in high demand. 

“Even though the fat content has declined, it’s still a very moist cake…a big part of nutrition is what you enjoy,” said Manish Singh, director of LAUSD food services.

The district even the recipe during the pandemic, encouraging people to make it while they were home. 

Singh said earlier this month the district ordered 3,500 pieces of coffee cake as part of a staff appreciation day and “it was all gone in no time,”  he said.  “We did a similar thing last year. The first time, they ordered 1,000 pieces and were worried there would be leftovers. It was gone in 20 minutes.”

The cake is so popular, it has even inspired businesses like Runaway Sweet Treats in Los Angeles to offer on its menu items using the original recipe. It’s also a big crowd pleaser on back-to-school night, with parents waiting in long lines to get a slice.  

LAUSD Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho is also a big fan, requesting it for monthly principals’ meetings.

When a student reporter with several boxes of coffee cake returned to the University of Southern California campus, a security guard recognized the packaging and asked for a  piece.

The recipe is not the only thing that has changed. With the decrease in cafeteria-produced food, some schools have contracted the production process to a third-party vendor. The cake is still made from scratch in 25-30 school kitchens, Singh said. 

“Where we have the capacity, and where the staff is able to make it from scratch, we still encourage them to make it from scratch,” Singh said. 

Guirguis is one of the many passionate individuals behind the creation of the legendary cake. Once a week, she and her staff bake nearly 600 coffee cakes before breakfast at 7:45 AM for the students at Marina del Rey Middle School and seven other LAUSD campuses.

From start to finish, it only takes her 30 minutes to bake two trays of fresh coffee cake. Baking the cake, she said, is her favorite part of her job.

When asked why the coffee cake is so popular, Guirguis said, “It’s because we make it with love.”

Learn how to make the legendary treat below:

Los Angeles Unified School District’s coffee cake is one of the most popular items on the district’s menu. Learn more about the 70 year old tradition, and see the full recipe, at The74million.org

Earlier this year, LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced the district’s new food truck program in collaboration with software company and , co-host of Netflix’s Chef Show.

The program features two professional food trucks equipped with a commercial-grade kitchen, to be run by students enrolled in career technical education programs at Maywood Academy High School and John H. Francis Polytechnic High School. It’s unclear when the program will launch.

In his initial , Carvalho emphasized the importance of post-graduation plans and career paths for high school students. 

“We don’t want a single student leaving high school without a college or university ticket or an opportunity for career and technical programming,” Carvalho said.

The students will be in charge of food preparation, promoting the food trucks, and handling all aspects of the business.

“It’s fun, it’s engaging. It’s interesting,” said Maywood culinary program junior Francisco Delatoree about the food truck program. “It made me want to cook more. I used to not do much, [but] now I cook for my family.”

Senior Emiliano Ponce said the launch of the food truck program will help him determine his future job path. “It opens a lot of doors… I’ve liked cooking (since) a young age,” Ponce said. “This program is helping me determine if I’m [going to] pursue culinary or not.”

Roy Choi encouraged students to embrace their culture and food, “I just want you to look at this food truck and know that it represents not only an opportunity but also represents yourselves and your culture.”

“The smallest thing, from the smallest idea to the smallest neighborhood to the smallest block, you can make a difference throughout the whole world,” Choi added.

Choi was born in Korea and moved to Los Angeles when he was two years old. After years of working at Michelin-starred restaurants, Choi shifted his focus to the food truck industry in 2008. Today, Choi’s Kogi food truck is well-known in LA and he is recognized as one of the architects of the modern food truck movement.

Carvalho, who followed a non-traditional route to becoming an educator, working as a dishwasher and in construction before landing an administrative job in education. He launched a technical high school, which showed him the power of career-oriented education.

“It paid off for those students,” Carvalho said. “So that told me early on that we need to do more in the career and technical space (is) as an equally important, viable option for students.”

Carvalho wants the district to offer a wide range of career and technical opportunities, connecting students to industries not only in technology and entertainment, but also to prepare for service fields.

“Today’s announcement is not only important,” Carvalho said. “It’s also a very cool announcement.”

This article is part of a collaboration between ����Ӱ�� and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.