Jan. 29, 2015

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 pantry customers. With strategies based on more than two years of field work, the guide highlights nutrition improvement activities in the areas of Food Availability and Access, Food Consumption, Food Pantry Capacity and Development, and Food Acquisition and Distribution. Personal stories highlight the innovative…

Nov. 20, 2013

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 color, and rural areas. In addition to showing that better eating habits and decreased risk of diet-related diseases are associated with living closer to retail outlets that carry healthy foods, the report provides evidence for the positive economic impact of healthy food…

Sep. 30, 2013

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 into their work. Discussions centered on the root causes of hunger and tangible ways food banks can work together to address the most pressing issues and needs of their clients. The conference concluded with an action planning session to build momentum for ongoing…

July 23, 2013

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 blog of the Association of American Law Schools section on agricultural and food law.

Oct. 16, 2012

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 870 million people, or one in eight, were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2010 through 2012. The report notes that while the number of hungry people declined between 1990 and 2007, efforts to reduce hunger have slowed since 2007. The theme…

Oct. 2, 2012

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 eating rather than negative ones. The insurance company is defending the ads. The ads can be viewed in Ezra Klein’s Wonkblog post at the Washington Post.

Oct. 2, 2012

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 (helping people install and maintain vegetable gardens at their homes), youth gardening education, a landscaping division, and more. The Columbia Daily Tribune recently caught up with the group just before their 3rd Annual Harvest Hootenanny Fundraiser. Read the rest of the story.

Oct. 2, 2012

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. Of those 5.7 percent had very low food security, meaning that food intake by some household members was reduced or disrupted at times during the year. Food insecurity levels are nearly the same as in 2010 and have remained at this level since…