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Shannon Baldwin

Articles by Shannon Baldwin

Small Food Store Planned for Underserved Neighborhood in Lubbock



Latinos make up around 32% of the population in Lubbock, TX. Many folks who live here don't have neighborhood grocery stores that sell healthy food options, pushing families to buy food from limited and pricey convenience stores or the drive-thru window. One woman in east Lubbock hopes her idea will improve the health of her neighbors and save them some money. Kassey Sexton has acquired funding for a small building and plans to convert it into a small store that would provide lower-cost, healthier food options for her and her neighbors. Sexton hopes to have her store open by spring and plans on stocking it with produce grown from community gardens. Read more ...

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Fact Sheet: Comparing State and National School Snack Policies



These fact sheets and data tables from The Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project compare the snack food and beverage policies of each state and the District of Columbia with the USDA’s standards. These resources can help state and district stakeholders understand how close their policies are to the national standards and which state policies set an even healthier bar for snacks. They also provided recommendations for how states can better mirror the USDA ...

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Pediatric Clinic Plans to Move Inside Farmers’ Market



What do medical professionals and farmers' have in common? More than you think! The relationship between good health and good food can be seen across the country in fruit and veggie prescription programs, farmers' markets setting up inside health clinics, and more. In Flint, Michigan, when a medical center needed to relocate their pediatric clinics, they pursued an unlikely partnership. Hurley Medical Center announced in January 2015 plans to move their Pediatric Residency Clinic and their Pediatric Specialty Clinic into the second floor of the Flint Farmers' Market. While a non-traditional space for a pediatric clinic, health officials say relocating to the Flint Farmers' Market will help them guide patients and their families through the process of purchasing healthy, fresh ...

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Sweet Victory: Sugary Drink Tax Passes in Berkeley



How did smallish Berkeley, Calif., become the nation’s first city to pass a sugary drink tax in 2014, after many other cities had failed? People power! Local health advocates like Xavier Morales had long supported a tax on sugary drinks, believing the higher price would discourage consumption. Research studies indicate that such a decrease in consumption could potentially reduce obesity and diabetes rates, especially for Latino kids. Because Latino children are heavily targeted by sugary drink and junk food advertisements, this issue was especially important to Berkeley’s 11% Latino community. In the end, it took passionate advocates, a well-organized campaign for a sugary drink tax, and national attention to eventually bring sweet victory for public health advocates in ...

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Food Access Task Force in Kansas City Aims for City Funding and New Grocery Store


Drive thru road sign for your restaurant store coronavirus covid-19 cancer patients

Some communities in Kansas City, Missouri, like many urban areas across the U.S., lack easy access to healthy food outlets. For many Latino families, this reality can lead to unhealthy eating habits and cause diet-related disease. Advocates for better healthy food access in Kansas City have formed a task force in hopes of finding solutions to combat these food deserts. Task force members include Truman Medical Center, KC Healthy Kids and Illinois Fresh Foods Fund. The group recently shared an update with City Council members and is hoping the city will contribute funding to the cause. Truman Medical Center plans to build a supermarket near 27th and Troost, but is still searching for a grocer to open up on the land.  They plan to break ground on the supermarket by ...

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H-E-B Community Challenge 2015



The third-annual H-E-B Community Challenge launched January 1, 2015 and runs through April. According to their website, this one-of-a-kind competition spans four months and challenges communities across the state to compete to see which can demonstrate the greatest commitment to healthy living. The Challenge unites and mobilizes schools, businesses, organizations, community members, and leaders toward the common goal of transforming their community’s health. Check out our post about previous H-E-B Community Challenges This year’s Challenge will launch in coordination with H-E-B’s Slim Down Showdown Challenge, which will award community members for tracking weight loss and provide them with access to a suite of educational weight-loss resources, such as videos, tip sheets, ...

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Wendy’s Removes Soda from Kids’ Meals



The popular fast-food chain Wendy's has removed sugary sodas from their kids' meal, and they aren't just announcing their decision; the removal has already gone into effect. The groups MomsRising.org, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) have been urging Wendy's to remove sugary sodas from their kids' meals in an effort to improve the nutritional quality of food marketed to kids. According to a press release by CSPI, now Burger King is the only "Big 3" burger chain still with soda in meals specifically intended for children. Subway, Chipotle, Arby's, and Panera also do not include soda as the default option in their kids' meals. Read more ...

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Safety Warnings on Sugary Drinks in Hawaii



in 2014, California tried unsuccessfully to pass legislation that would require certain sugary beverages to have warning labels, informing consumers about health risks associated with excess sugar consumption. Now Hawaii will try similar legislation in 2015. The Hawaii Public Health Institute recently met with state legislators to to outline their four childhood obesity-related priorities for the upcoming legislative session. One of these is placing safety warnings on sugar-sweetened beverages. Legislation has yet to be drafted. Read more in this news article. ...

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Scientists Petition USDA to Add Water to the MyPlate Graphic



Latino kids drink more sugary drinks than their white peers, but campaigns promoting water over sugary drinks can help change this. One of the most recognizable nutrition campaigns across the country is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate graphic, which shows the recommended servings of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. But what about encouraging water consumption? A group of scientists have come together to petition the USDA to add a circle for water on the MyPlate graphic. "Consumption of sugary beverages is the leading contributor to added sugar in the American diet," says Christina Hecht, senior policy adviser at the UC Nutrition Policy Institute and one of the water advocates, in a NPR article. "If people could make that one change to drink water to ...

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