Healthy Shelves Hits the Shelves

A new publication by the Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security, Healthy Shelves: Promoting and enhancing good nutrition in food pantries, was released in January 2015. This 24 page booklet offers tips and strategies for linking food pantries and community partners to get healthier food onto the shelves of pantries and into the homes of food…

New Report Reviews Healthy Food Access Research

Policy Link and The Food Trust recently released a joint report titled Access to Healthy Food and Why it Matters: A Review of the Research. Drawing on more than 300 studies published between 1990 and 2013, the report highlights the importance of improving access to healthy food for those living in low-income neighborhoods, communities of…

Food Bank Conference Brings Allies Together

Looking for ways to engage food banks and anti-hunger allies in a meaningful dialogue about long-term solutions to hunger, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona hosted the inaugural Closing the Hunger Gap conference in Tucson in 2013. Sessions featured innovative organizations that incorporate nutrition education, community organizing, policy, economic development, and local food production…

Food Assistance and the Farm Bill Debate

Amidst the current Farm Bill debate, University of Arkansas Law professor Susan Schneider offers a reasoned assessment of who benefits from federal nutrition programs, the efficiency in which the programs are implemented, and the economic impact of spending food stamp dollars in local communities. The article is featured in the Agricultural Law Blog, the official…

World Food Day 2012

October 16 was World Food Day, sponsored by a host of government agencies and non-governmental organizations to raise awareness about hunger and malnutrition around the world. According to a recent report jointly published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Food Programme (WFP), approximately…

Can these Minnesota ads reduce obesity?

Minnesotans have something new to watch on TV: Commercials encouraging them to reduce their weight. They are a part of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota’s latest campaign to reduce obesity rates. These ads haven't been universally loved, drawing criticism from those who argue that people respond better to positive message about health and healthy…

Catching up with the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture

The Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, a non-profit organization in Columbia, Missouri, has been working to expand fresh food options in central Columbia since 2008.  The group began with a small demonstration garden and has grown to include a 1.3 acre urban farm, an on-site farm stand that accepts SNAP benefits, an Opportunity Gardens program…

NPR: Recession Still Hurting U.S. Families Trying To Put Food On The Table

A recent post on NPR's food blog, The Salt, reported that "the number of U.S. families struggling to put enough food on the table remains at record-high levels." This comes from new data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The department estimates that approximately 14.9 percent of American households were food insecure in 2011.…