According to a recent news article, the U.S. District Judge Edward Chen is now backtracking on his agreement for sugary beverage warning labels. Recently, Chen denied American Beverage Association (ABA) any more time in holding off in implementing the new warning label law, to take place on all ads by July 25, 2016. Now, Chen is placing the appeal on hold, considering not the ABA's free speech argument, but more so the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Chen granted an injunction pending appeal allowing the Ninth Circuit to weigh in on the issue as this was the first warning label on food products. Chen told the WSJ, that the time proposed on final say of the law's implementation date may be months away. To ...
Mom and registered dietician in Columbus, Ohio, Sally Kuzemchak, calls herself a "soccer mom on a mission" after she found out that her kids were eating junk food and sugary beverages at all their sports and after school events. Sally saw the need to have her two kids fuel up on more than the usual sports drinks, juice boxed drinks and chips that are offered to kids. She wanted to create a grassroots effort to stop unhealthy snacking patterns for the sake of her and other kid's health. So Sally created a healthier snack movement, by asking other moms to take a stand towards healthier snacking at local school, church, and sports team events by becoming, "Snacktivists". Snacktivists moms are empowered to tell their kids coaches, and camp directors about their concerns with snacks ...
According to the most recent census, there are over 55 million Latinos living in the United States. They make up the largest ethnic minority group in the United States and their numbers and influence are growing at a rapid pace. While they face many health, financial, and educational disparities a new report has found that the future looks bright for Latinos. A new survey from the Pew Research Center has found that 81% of Latinos expect their personal finances to improve in the next year. This is up significantly from the 67% that were surveyed who felt that way in 2011. Latinos are also more optimistic than the general public; 61% overall felt they would improve financially in the upcoming year. The research determined that the “bulk” of the optimism is coming from Latino ...
After council discussions, the first policy of it's kind in Las Cruces, New Mexico, passed on June 6th, 2016, by the city council for urban agriculture (UA). The new Urban Agriculture and Food Policy plan, developed by La Semilla Food Center, will help the 16.8% food insecure community to have more access to healthier foods through food distribution in towns, cities schools and communities. How? The plan includes three goals including supporting healthy and food-secure communities, having stronger and more vibrant local food economies and supporting healthier ecosystems, and smart environmental stewardship resources. Driven by the community, the plan was prepared by the Urban Ag working group of the Mesilla Valley Food Policy Council (MVFPC). The MVFPC created in 2012 was ...
Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a “final rule” to advance health equity and reduce healthcare disparities. Under the new rule, individuals are protected from discrimination in healthcare on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability and sex. The rule also protects against discrimination based on pregnancy, gender identity, and sex stereotyping. The Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities final rule impacts portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). “A central goal of the Affordable Care Act is to help all Americans access quality, affordable health care.” said HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. “Today’s announcement is a key step toward realizing equity within our health care system and reaffirms this Administration's ...
In 2013, Roger Bennett of Men in Blazers and Greg Kaplan, a University of Chicago economics professor, looked at the effects of the pay-to-play system on American soccer by looking at socio-economic data of pro basketball, football, and soccer players from 1993 to 2013. They found the soccer players came from communities that had higher incomes, education, and employment rankings than basketball and football players, and soccer players were whiter than the US average. Doug Andreassen, the chairman of US Soccer’s diversity task force, says the pay-to-play system in suburban neighborhoods works against poor minority kids because it is so costly. Additionally, the over-coaching style in these wealthier leagues often crushes the creativity of players who learned to play in the ...
What are California Thursdays? A new wave of fresh farm-to-school lunches is popping up in California schools- serving fresh fish tacos and kale slaw among other locally sourced foods to a dozen school districts in the San Diego County, Calif., including San Ysidro School District. California Thursdays are a new farm-to-school program focused on creating healthier school meals from local ingredients within California. Students have enjoyed the new options of fresh guacamole with fish tacos or "pollo local," a Southwestern salad with barbecue chicken, stating that they enjoy the more nutritious options and that they are tastier than the usual fare of hot dogs and hamburgers. Thirty-three of the 42 school districts took part in some type of farm-to-school activity during the ...
Whoever said school lunches had to be boring? Schools in Mountain Lake, Minn. want to make sure students not only enjoy healthier school lunches but also hope to let kids experience different cultural foods and flavors from around the world. The new flavors come from Taher Regional Chefs who have visited other parts of the world and then visit the schools to recreate the flavors within school lunches. Students are intrigued by the flavors, as the Chefs have brought back inspirations from France, Turkey, India, Vietnam, Singapore and Jakarta to the schools lunches. Fresh fruits that have been a popular hit among students are jamaica and mango. Having culturally diverse lunches could be a fun and innovative way for kids to try new fruits and vegetables to their diets, ...
New research, reported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has determined that access to safe neighborhood spaces for physical activity can help families and kids maintain a healthy weight, but it is not often enough. According to a recent estimate, nearly 40% of U.S. Latino youths ages 2-19 are overweight or obese, compared with only 28.5% of non-Latino white youths. Also, the percentage of those who are overweight or obese between ages 2-5 is nearly 30% for Latino children compared with only 21% of non-Latino white children. According to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana healthcare economist Mike Bertaut, healthcare providers—and health insurers—play a critical role for families and children at high risk for obesity and/or obesity-related disease. “Obesity is the ...
