Supermarkets and pharmacies are well-positioned in their communities to encourage folks to make healthier food and drink choices. However, some stores continue to promote sugary drinks over healthier options, like water. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) along with other advocacy groups and health professionals are calling on store owners to rethink how they market sugary drinks and to consider giving no and low calorie drink options more prominent shelf space. Little decisions like placing a case of bottled water at the check out line instead of soda is a small but effective way for a store owner to promote better beverage choices in the community. CSPI and others have crafted letters to send to large supermarket and pharmacy stores urging them to consider making ...
Farmers' markets around the country have tougher rules and regulations than your average supermarket. While these rules are intended to protect customers from unsafe food, sometimes the rules limit what a farmer can sell and how they can sell it, making it harder on the farmer to make money and harder for the customer to get fresh, healthy produce. A Texas bill signed into law in June 2013 hopes to relax some of these rules. H.B. 1382, introduced by Rep. David Simpson (R- Longview) relaxes some existing regulations and fees making it easier for sellers at farmers’ markets to provide cooking demonstrations and food samples to patrons. More samples and cooking demos means more folks are able to learn how they can use fresh, healthy produce to enhance their family's ...
In early April 2013 Lakeview Community Schools added salad bars, called fruit and vegetable bars because of their various offerings, at not only their junior and senior high schools, but also at some of their elementary schools. These salad bars help increase the consumption of fruits and vegetable for young students. Without salad bars, students are only given a certain option for fruits and vegetables, resulting in many foods being wasted. Often times young students who do not like a food or cannot eat it due to lost teeth or lack of ability (example: young students often do not know how to peel oranges or other fruits that are prepped at homes by parents) will throw away foods, not getting any of the nutrients they need from those foods. "Fourth-grader Cassie Rathbone had applesauce ...
Houston Independent School District (HISD) in Texas is further addressing the growing issue of childhood obesity by creating a well rounded wellness policy. "The new Houston ISD wellness policy, currently being drafted by the School Health Advisory Council [SHAC], will directly address the use of food as a classroom reward (as well the equally distressing use of exercise as a punishment)." says Bettina Siegel, author of the blog The Lunch Tray The USDA has been increasing policies on school foods and competitive foods, by making nutrition standards for school meals in the past, and are currently creating standards for competitive foods in school snack lines. However schools or districts themselves must take the next steps in changing their policies on standards for fundraisers, ...
Georgia is no stranger to the connection between hunger and obesity. Many low-income residents live in areas that have no grocery store close by but boast a variety of fast food joints, and rates of childhood obesity in those areas are high. Following the lead of many states and cities nationwide, Georgia has created the Georgia Supermarket Access Task Force, led by The Food Trust and Voices for Georgia’s Children. The task force has been meeting with key stakeholders, such as grocers and those in public health and agriculture, to talk about ways to get stores with fresh, healthy produce back into these areas. Check out the task force's work here! One great success story in the area is the Veggie Truck Farmers' Market, a weekly produce truck that accepts nutrition assistance and ...
Introduced in 2011 as part of the Farm Bill, this act makes changes across a wide spectrum of food and farm policies to: promote small, beginning and sustainable farmers; expand local and institutional markets for growers; increase access to local and healthier food options, particularly for low-income populations; remove or reduce barriers to the purchase of locally grown and produced food by federal nutrition programs; and more. Some aspects of the bill have been incorporated in the House and/or Senate versions of the pending farm bill. Learn more about the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs ...
The Houston Department of Health and Human Services has kicked off an initiative to set up farmers markets in underserved, inner-city neighborhoods. The initiative aims to provide easier access to affordable fruits and vegetables in Houston communities that lack access to grocery stores and other fresh food outlets. HDHHS organizes monthly farmers markets in the neighborhoods of Sunnyside, Magnolia and Fifth Ward, three communities where fresh food is not readily available. Live around here? Find your farmers' ...
Families living in food deserts, areas with limited access to grocery stores, have a harder time eating healthy because of limited fresh foods options. H.B. 725, introduced by Texas State Representative Ryan Guillen (D- Rio Grande City) in January 2013, would work to end food deserts by establishing a revolving loan fund to support investment in low-income areas in need of grocery stores. To qualify for the loan, these new groceries would be required to accept SNAP and WIC benefits, ensuring that all Texans, regardless of their zip code, would have access to healthy, quality ...
Because of restrictive food safety ordinances, farmers markets could not do business in Plano, Texas. On Tuesday December 18th, 2012, Plano city council voted unanimously to make several major changes to the food ordinance. Among the most important was changing the definition of a farmers market in order to allow not only produce but also items such as cheese, milk and meat. The market will be located at Fairview Farms, 3314 N. Central Expressway and is tentatively scheduled to be open Saturdays from April to October. Plano, a northern suburb of Dallas, has a significant Hispanic population that will benefit from the location of Plano's first real farmers ...
