Tell USDA: Limit Added Sugars in Dietary Guidelines!


Latno boy drinking water no sugary drinks in us dietary guidelines

Submit a comment to support strong limits on added sugars and no sugary drinks for toddlers in the scientific report that will help shape the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A federal committee released the scientific report on July 15, 2020, after spending months reviewing data and over 55,000 public comments—including some from Salud America! members. USDA and HHS will use the scientific report and comments to draft the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. You can comment on the report through Aug. 13, 2020. Marion Nestle, a nutrition researcher, told CNN that the report has "stronger recommendations" than past guidelines. This includes no sugary drinks for children up to age 2. "At the outset, I was concerned that the committee members might be ...

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Sugary Drink Ads Continue to Target Latino, Black Youth


sugary drink facts report by rudd center

Spending on sugary drink TV advertising aimed at black and Latino youth is up, according to Sugary Drink FACTS 2020, a new report from the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. Overall, the report found that in 2018 companies spent a whopping $1 billion (26% increase since 2013) in sugary drink advertising. These drinks include regular soda, sports drinks, iced tea, fruit drinks, flavored water, and energy drinks. Pepsi and Coca-Cola accounted for the largest share of sugary drink advertising in 2018. In the report researchers also explored the nutritional value of sugary drinks advertised by large companies. "These analyses of the nutrition content and advertising of sugary drinks and energy drinks demonstrate that beverage company advertising of sugary drinks to young ...

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Black Lives Matter Advocates Push for Grocery Store in an Oklahoma Food Desert


Black Lives Mater advocates meet with oklahoma city leaders for a grocery store

In a move that shows how social movements can address local health, Black Lives Matter advocates are helping push for a grocery store in a food desert in Oklahoma City (14.6% Black, 19.2% Latino). The advocates brought a demand for a store to city leaders. They met with Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, Homeland grocery store President and CEO Marc Jones, and economic developers to discuss plans for building the 30,000-square-foot store to a local food desert on the Northeast side of the city, according to Patrina Adger of KOCO News. The area's only grocery store closed down about a year ago. This left neighbors with little access to fresh fruits and vegetables. "Obviously it's just this huge unmet need [for healthy food options] for a number of years," Jones of Homeland told ...

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55,000 People Speak Up to Help Shape Dietary Guidelines for Americans


healthy eating salad food latina kitchen dietary guidelines for americans

55,564 people—including members of Salud America!—submitted public comments to help shape the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. A federal advisory committee will consider the public comments, collected from March 2019 to June 2020, as they create a scientific report to inform the new dietary guidelines. Our members made over 250 comments to add water to the MyPlate/MiPlato graphic, reduce added sugars, and promote dietary equity. The USDA and HHS will use the scientific report and comments to draft the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. But don't worry if you missed commenting! USDA and HHS will open a new comment period for the advisory committee's scientific report around July 15, 2020. "We're excited that so many people spoke up for equitable ...

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Street Vendors Left Out of Reopening Plans amid Coronavirus


Street Vendors

Cities are increasingly recognizing the value of streets as car-less public space. For example, due to a spike in demand for outdoor space early in the coronavirus pandemic, cities around the world began closing streets to vehicles to give people walking and biking more space. More recently, cities are closing streets to vehicles to give restaurants and shops space to serve customers outdoors—in parking spaces, on sidewalks, and on streets. However, street vendors, many of whom are Latinos and immigrants with no paid sick leave and a history of fighting to serve these very spaces, are being left out of reopening plans. “They’ve been so exposed through the nature of their work and the cruelty of our society that has forced them out of the formal economy,” Megan Macareg ...

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Eric Cooper: How San Antonio Food Bank Feeds People Amid Coronavirus


Eric Cooper directs the San Antonio Food Bank to Help Feed Families amid Coronavirus

Eric Cooper knows what it's like to depend on public assistance programs. He grew up in a low-income family, relying on free school meals and food assistance to get enough food to eat. Today, as CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank, Cooper helps families like his. And with rising amounts of food insecurity amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, he led the Food Bank to orchestrate a whole new way of operating. An army of volunteers has stepped up to meet the needs of so many, by working in back-to-back shifts and implementing new strategies, such as drive-through pickup lines or COVID-19 preparation kits. Their efforts have garnered national acclaim and have turned a crisis into a rallying point for those who need it most. "I think all of us, as human beings find ourselves in ...

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Report: Increasing SNAP Benefits Only Helps the Economy


Increasing SNAP Benefits Helps Economy

Food stamps began in America during another national crisis, the Great Depression — now, during the coronavirus pandemic, government programs are advocating for expansion. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) received a big increase in federal support from the USDA on Wednesday. Moreover, a recent report from the Robert Wood Johnson’s Healthy Eating Research program shows that this kind of investment only helps families and the American economy. “In a time of economic uncertainty, increasing SNAP benefits is a proven policy approach to stimulate the economy, reduce economic hardship, and improve health,” the report states. “Future federal recovery policy approaches should consider SNAP’s proven ability to lift people out of poverty, purchase healthy food, ...

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Fizz Win: Soda Tax Revenue Turns into Emergency Grocery Vouchers amid Coronavirus


soda tax grocery store voucher coronavirus pandemic

A soda tax aims to reduce sugary drink consumption and boost public health. In a new twist, Seattle is using soda tax revenues to give emergency $800 grocery vouchers for 6,250 families amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Next City reports. City leaders mailed a $400 voucher in March 2020 for families to buy groceries at Safeway. They will send a second $400 voucher this month. Mayor Jenny Durkan called this rapid-response to coronavirus "remarkable." “As schools and child care facilities close, we need to do everything we can to support families and ensure they can put food on the table,” Durkan said, Next City reports. Sugary drinks do not contribute to good health, especially among Latinos, according to a Salud America! research review. Let's examine how soda ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 4/21: Tackling Latino Food Insecurity amid Coronavirus


food insecurity empty grocery store shelves no food latino shopper mask coronavirus tweetchat

The coronavirus outbreak is making it harder for Latino and other families to get enough food to feed their families, a condition also called food insecurity. Families that rely on food assistance can’t stock up, or shop online, either. Let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, April 21, 2020, to discuss how to improve food access and mitigate food insecurity for Latinos and all people during the COVID-19 pandemic! WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: Tackling Latino Food Insecurity amid Coronavirus TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, April 21, 2020 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludAmerica CO-HOSTS:  UnidosUS (@WeAreUnidosUS), Food Research and Action Center (@fractweets), and Feeding America Advocacy (@hunger) HASHTAG: #SaludTues ...

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