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Lisa

Articles by Lisa

Webinar on Insights on Soda Tax Victories



Are you working to pass a tax on sugary drinks in your community, considering whether to pursue one or counseling others on how to get one adopted? Do you want to learn what it took to field and win tax campaigns? This one-hour webinar is for you. Panelists will share lessons learned from both ballot measure and legislative campaigns. Larry Tramutola and his California political consulting firm were the strategists behind successful ballot campaigns in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco. Jessie Bradley of Hilltop Public Solutions provided strategic guidance to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney as he shepherded a tax to pay for pre-K and other initiatives through City Council. WHO: Larry Tramutola, President/CEO of Tramutola political consulting essie Bradley, Partner, Hilltop ...

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NY School Switches Up Breakfast Options For Less Sugar



A new taste test around breakfast cereals made one school in New York switch its breakfast brand of cereals of Kellogg's popular Kashi brand, to a small local upstart brand called Back to the Roots, known for lower levels of sugar, salt, and calories. The local company's cereal is also organic, free of preservatives and doesn't artificially add vitamins, Breitbart reports. Kids preferred Back to the Roots brands over other cereals, and the school will now be offering more of the local brand but still offering some of other big brands including General Mills, Post Foods. The local cereals that advertise stoneground flakes, made of purple corn and organic whole grain ingredients are being implemented in the free-breakfast program across the largest school system in New York ...

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Strategic Campaign Fund Incubator Opportunity



A new funding opportunity is rising from Voices for Healthy Kids, working to ensure that all children have access to healthy food and physical activity where they live, learn, and play. The purpose of the Strategic Campaign Fund Incubator opportunity is to support innovative advocacy approaches that align with Voices for Healthy Kids policy priorities. Funding requests may range from $15,000 to $30,000 and all grants awarded will be 100% non-lobbying funding and all applications must be submitted by the deadline on Friday, March 31, 2017, 5 pm EST. To learn more about the incubator opportunity email Shannon.Melluzzo@heart.org and/or register for the webinar on the Incubator Application 101 being held, Monday, March 6th from 2-3pm EST. The webinar will review the funding ...

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Nutrition Month Awareness Movement



National Nutrition Month is all about getting the word out about making the healthy choice the easy choice for all and what better way to do that than to find out how to support all to have healthy food choice options. The American Heart Association (AHA) is working to bring awareness to the Texas Capitol to encourage policy around healthier food access for the unfortunate 3.4 million Texans that simply don't have a choice for healthy food as they deal with limited access to health food options. AHA is asking everyone to support the healthy choice for everyone, by joining them on Thursday, March 23rd  in Austin to meet with elected officials to discuss specific legislation that will help increase access to healthy food in underserved communities and help encourage healthier early ...

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One Healthy Checkout Lane Leads to 10



Success for Northgate Gonzalez markets in Southern California all comes down to its healthy marketing tactics. Since their Viva la Salud, they have been working in their stores to create healthy marketing and a comprehensive wellness program to entice shoppers to choose fresh fruits and vegetables and healthier products. Back in 2016,  LA parents saw that more needed to be done in all grocery stores around California, where checkout lanes tempted parents and kids alike with unhealthy foods like sodas, chips, and candies. Parents worked with groups including Choose Health LA Kids, Los Angeles County Department of Health, First 5 LA, the Interagency Retail Alliance (IRA) which includes Choose Health LA Kids-Choose Health LA Kids—The Children’s Clinic, AltaMed, Public Health ...

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New Poll Shows Illinoisans Support Sugary Drinks Tax


added sugar

Although the topic of taxing sugary drinks in Illinois to help balance the state budget is not off the table since January. A recent poll taken by the American Heart Association shows that over 50% of respondents showed support for a tax on sugary drinks. In fact, according to the AHA poll, over 70% of the 800 poll respondents would rather tax sugary drinks than hike income taxes or expanded sales tax on services. One in three children in the state are considered obese or overweight, and sugary drinks are still a large part of the average American child's diet, leading to higher risks of unhealthy weights, heart disease, and liver disease. Many in Illinois support the tax, including 65% Latino Illinoisans, lawmakers, business owners, and health advocates. Having support for ...

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Improving Healthier Food Prices Increases Healthy Food Supply & Demand


access to healthy food store

A new study looking at 24 corner stores in disadvantaged neighborhoods and two wholesale stores in Baltimore City, Maryland were tested on the impact of how store-directed price discounts and communications strategies impact healthy food supply and demand. The study, published in Public Health Nutrition reported that stores that used healthy marketing and discounts on healthy foods did, in fact, impact the supply and demand of healthier foods in stores. The stores were randomized into categories including pricing interventions, communication interventions, combined pricing and communications interventions, and a control store. During the 6 month trail, communication stores promoted healthy items with signage, taste tests, and refrigerators. The pricing intervention stores were ...

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Study Shows Mexico Soda Tax Decreases Consumption



Two years after Mexico implemented a soda tax, sugary drink consumption has decreased shows a new study. According to the researchers at the University of North Carolina's Gillings School of Global Public Health and the Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Michael Jacobson, the taxes are decreasing soda purchases as much as 5% in the first year of the tax and 4% in the second year. Sugary beverages are a danger for Latino kids in America, where studies show 74% of Latinos have had a sugary drink by age 2 and Latino kids ages 0-5 years old consume more sugary drinks than the overall average. Experts warn that sugary drinks bring increased risks for children and teens, who often face higher risks for unhealthy weights, heart disease, high blood ...

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New Resource on Feeding Guidelines For Infants & Toddlers



New guidelines are out from Healthy Eating Research (HER) for Health Professionals on infant and toddler feeding. Evidence shows that the first 1,000 days or the period from conception to age two for children are critical in obesity prevention. Many Latino children often deal with unhealthy weights due to more consumption of sugary drinks, less access to healthy foods and limited breastfeeding opportunities. With the new evidence-based guidelines from HER parents can find out what and how to feed infants and toddlers as well as how to address screen time, media use, sleep and other topics that impact childhood weight outcomes. Some of the main recommendations of the review include: Encouraging breastfeeding from birth until 6 months and after adding complimentary foods, ...

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