Many residents in San Jose’s low-income communities don’t have access to fresh produce or can’t afford it, which is one reason they experience higher rates of nutrition-related diseases than residents of more affluent areas. Some city policies make it difficult to bring new community gardens, farmers’ markets and mobile produce vendors into low-income communities. The Campaign for Healthy Food San Jose was a year-long coalition started in September 2011. They had many big dreams for the city, like getting healthier foods into the neighborhoods that don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. In the end, the City of San Jose adopted a new Specific Use Regulation for the permit process of Certified Farmers’ Markets (CFMs) located on private property. The Regulation states ...
Schools in southern Florida are implementing more changes to promote healthy eating amongst students. Various schools have started providing a salad bar, changing the vending machine options, and introducing more fruits and vegetables. The USDA's Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act standardized calories per meal and what types of foods must be offered. However many schools in southern Florida are trying to go beyond that to create. They were making these changes before the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which has helped the changes become less objectionable. They have gotten rid of deep fryers in many schools, and began eliminating some high fat foods (like hot dogs, corn dogs, and fried foods). Although they are facing obstacles like the student's acceptance and intake of new food, they ...
Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, have reintroduced Senate and House versions of the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act, legislation that aims to increase access to healthier foods for consumers in underserved communities by expanding economic opportunities for local and regional farmers. The bill would provide funding to help farmers process and sell their food locally, which incentivizes schools and low-income residents to purchase it. ...
Through a grant from the Let's Move! Salad to Schools program, salad bars are being implemented into schools in Cordova, Alaska. These salad bars have a variety of fruits and vegetables, mostly raw, that the students love choosing from. Foods like raw spinach, cut up cauliflower, slide cucumbers, corn, peaches, orange slices, and many other items are featured in the salad bar, depending on what seasonal produce they can purchase. The students are responding well because they prefer being able to make their own choices on which fruits or vegetables to eat, which results in less food waste for the school and more healthy foods are actually eaten by students. The success of salad bars, like this one, are dependent on the foods being cut up, fresh, and easy for kids to see. This all ensures ...
Saludable Omaha, a Latino Health Movement created by youth activists, began to see the affects that obesity was having within South High School. In the 2011-2012 school year student leaders from the Saludable Omaha Movement decided to address the issue of the lack of nutrition knowledge that affected student’s ability to make healthy choices at lunchtime. In order to educate students about foods being served, Saludable Omaha students began a Green is Go marketing campaign. This campaign highlights the healthy foods, while also drawing attention to foods that have less nutritional value, that can be found in their cafeteria. Saludable Omaha students brought in a nutritionist to assist them in finding accurate facts and information about the food being served in the school cafeteria. ...
Parent organization Real Food for Kids (RFFK) aims to improve the nutritional quality of food served at the public schools in Fairfax County, Va. These parents want all students to get healthy, fresh food that will fuel their bodies for physical and educational performance. As stated on their website: “We know, just as you do, that when a child is well-fed with nutritious, real food, he/she is healthier, better behaved and better able to succeed in and out of the classroom.” By doing research and educating themselves, they discovered the volume and breadth of processed foods and foods with artificial dyes and additives being served at their schools, even though these foods were allowed by USDA nutrition guidelines for school lunches. The parent group advocated for a new ...
Three groups, Forest Manor Multi-Service Center, Community Alliance of the Far Eastside and United Northeast Community Development Corporation, have formed the Indy East Food Desert Coalition. They are determined to give their members on the east side of Indianapolis access to healthy, fresh food options. They have partnered with Butler University’s Urban Ecology Department to get some real data that they believe will help them more efficiently minimize the problem that has had real health impacts. Butler University will compile all the data from a questionnaire being distributed online and door to door. The hope is that some real, hard numbers will get the attention of government officials and foundations that can offer them a financial boost. They want to see out preliminary plans ...
Maryvale on the Move works to influence and bring about healthy changes to Maryvale and Canyon Corridor--two predominantly Latino neighborhoods in Phoenix. Residents from the Maryvale neighborhood of Phoenix met for a series of workshops to provide input as to what improvements needed to be made in their community. Some expressed concern over a lack of lighting and a need for more physical activity and less junk food in their neighborhoods. Residents also made recommendations like installing a roundabout to calm traffic and establishing Farmers' Markets. After meeting with groups of local residents from these neighborhoods, and community organizations, Maryvale on the Move identified four goals. The four goals are: (1) create community gardens; (2) increase availability of ...
Minneapolis schools are changing their food offerings to provide a healthier environment for students. They have hired three extra kitchen employees to create a new menu and offer more variety to students. New menu items include orange chicken, wheatberry salad, black bean burgers, and roasted red potatoes- instead of fries. The way the food is prepared is the biggest and greatest change being made in Minneapolis schools. Instead of using all prepared and packaged foods, they are making more food fresh in their kitchens. Previously they only heated up pre-made pizzas, but now they now make pizzas by hand with a variety toppings like roasted vegetables and pepperoni. In order to create a new menu, and keep up with the preparation and cooking, the district had to hire two new prep cooks ...
