Kumar Chandran Named Acting Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services at Dept. of Agriculture

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has named Kumar Chandran as Acting Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services (FNCS). In his role, the Indian American “will help carry forward the Biden-Harris administration’s vision for reducing hunger, improving nutrition, and giving all Americans, regardless of zip code or socio-economic status, the best chance at a good life,” the USDA said in a Jan. 16 announcement. 

The nutrition advocacy and public service expert most recently lead policy work of the national non-profit FoodCorps. Chandran was also chief of staff to the Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services during the Obama Administration, and he has worked to fight hunger and improve nutrition through roles at Share Our Strength and California Food Policy Advocates (now Nourish California).

Chandran previously served on the Biden-Harris transition team, as part of the USDA Agency Review team and then as a senior advisor for Nutrition Policy in the Office of the Secretary.

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Chandran has a BA in Political Economy from University of California, Berkeley; MS in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts University; and a Master’s in Public Health, Health Policy from Tufts University School of Medicine.