The Weekly Food Research and Action Center News Digest highlights what's new on hunger, nutrition and poverty issues at FRAC, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, around the network of national, state and local anti-poverty and anti-hunger organizations, and in the media. The Digest will alert you to trends, reports, news items and resources and, when available, link you directly to them.
1. Editorial Urges Congress to Improve School Nutrition
(The New York Times, April 26, 2009)
The place to start fighting the childhood obesity epidemic is in the schools, states this editorial. Federal nutrition rules governing food sold outside the meal programs (through snack bars, vending machines, and a la carte lines) are “limited in scope and have not been updated for nearly 30 years.” Food sold outside the federal meal programs “has pretty much cancelled out the benefits of all those healthy lunches and breakfasts…Until new rules are written,” notes the editorial, “children will continue to buy candy bars, sugary drinks and high sodium snacks elsewhere in school.” Congress is “waking up” to this, and a bill introduced by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), updates the non-meal standards and gives USDA “broader authority to promulgate new regulations for food sold in schools that accept federal food subsidies.” A similar bill will be introduced in the Senate by Sen. Tom Harkin. Schools concerned with the financial costs of stricter guidelines can refer to a recent study in West Virginia showing that costs are negligible for schools switching from sodas to milk and water. However, “even if the switch costs money, so be it. The schools should not be trading their students’ health to buy office supplies,” states this editorial.
2. Indiana’s SNAP/Food Stamp Modernization Causes Long Waits for Benefits
(Article: Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, April 26, 2009; Editorial: Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, April 26, 2009)
During the final quarter of 2008, one-third of SNAP/Food Stamp applications handled through call centers associated with Indiana’s $1.16 billion modernization program took longer than two months to process. USDA expects that 90 percent of SNAP/Food Stamp applications be processed in 30 days or less; if not, then the state must come up with a corrective plan to achieve that rate. Indiana has a 60 day authorization period, however, in the last quarter of 2008, that goal was met only 68 percent of the time. In Noble County during that time, close to half of the SNAP/Food Stamp applications took over 60 days to process. The county had the third-worst unemployment rate in the state in March. Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) cites “growing pains” for the slow processing times, as well as possible client errors and increased SNAP/Food Stamp applications. The new system replaces county caseworkers with call centers and computers. “I think that what you’re seeing is the system adjusting to the increased volume,” said FSSA communications and media director Marcus Barlow. “That’s not saying it’s an excuse.” But according to Val Hague, director of Noble House Ministries, Inc., the new system is the homeless shelter’s biggest frustration. Clients have been told – by the state – that their files are missing information, prompting the shelter’s case manager to track all documents and phone calls. Clients now receive appointment date notices with dates occurring before the letters were postmarked. Advocates say the system’s processing times are long for other assistance programs, including Medicaid and TANF. Lawsuits challenging the state’s handling of welfare benefits have been filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana and the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. An editorial in the Journal Gazette notes that the numbers are showing the new system is not working, and calls on lawmakers to “demand immediate changes.”
3. SNAP/Food Stamp Recipient Regrets Not Signing Up Earlier
(KOMO Seattle Washington, April 27, 2009)
For months after she lost her job, an unemployed Bellevue, Wash. resident (who asked to remain anonymous in this article) “waffled on whether to apply for food stamps.” She lived for a while on peanut butter and “way too much bread” until finally she went online and signed up for SNAP/Food Stamps. Her only regret is that she didn’t apply sooner. “I think the stigma of who uses food stamps and why they use them needs to be smashed a little,” said Elizabeth Beckett, a SNAP/Food Stamp recipient. “I’m an educated individual, I have two college degrees, I’ve done AmeriCorps.” Now that the program uses EBT cards, it’s harder for people to know who’s using SNAP/Food Stamp in a grocery store and who isn’t. Last fall, Washington State increased the application income limit to 200 percent of the federal poverty rate, making more people eligible. With the growing numbers of people who need help, the anonymous recipient hopes any lingering stigma will be erased. “I read the blogs and responses to articles in the paper, and there are people who write in and still have jobs who are pretty damn mean. Some of it has to be driven by fear,” she said. Her theory: “In the back of their minds, they are worried.”
4. Ohio Legislature Focusing on Restoring Food Aid to Budget
(Columbus Dispatch, April 28, 2009)
Ohio’s House Democrats have moved to restore funding to help low-income and vulnerable residents and avert layoffs. Fund restoration amounts to $50 million of $62 million in annual county aid, some of which pays for caseworkers processing SNAP/Food Stamp and other assistance applications. Food banks in the state would receive $3.5 million annually in the new budget, prompting Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Food Banks, to note “It’s a good start.” The group would like $17 million annually to keep pace with the growing demand for services. It’s expected that Minority House Republicans will vote against the Democrats’ plan, which then moves to the Republican-controlled Senate.
5. Food Bank Honored for Federal Nutrition Program Outreach
(West Seattle Herald, April 24, 2009)
Washington State’s Vashon Maury Community Food Bank received Food Lifeline’s 2009 Agency Excellence Award for Excellence in Collaboration. The Food Bank, located on Vashon Island, worked closely with the Public Health Office in Seattle to help clients apply for Basic Food, the Food Stamp program, Basic Health, and other forms of assistance, and did so with little or no budget for expanding their services. Offering the service enabled residents seeking support to save the $14 to $20 in ferry rates to and from the island they spent to apply for different benefits at offices off the island. That money equaled a month’s worth of SNAP/Food Stamp benefits for some. Vashon Island residents can now apply for SNAP/Food Stamps as well as health coverage and medical coupons without leaving the community.
6. Texas Promises $11 Million in Recovery Money for School Food Preparation Equipment
(High Plains Journal, April 27, 2009)
The economic recovery act provided the Texas Department of Agriculture (which administers the nation’s largest school meal programs) with $11 million in funding to replace school food preparation equipment, and the state’s agriculture commissioner, Todd Staples, is making sure the money is spent wisely. “It is my first priority to ensure any dollars allocated to the Texas Department of Agriculture are used efficiently and have the greatest impact to the eligible recipients,” Commissioner Staples said. “Schools can use this money to replace old, worn-out equipment and make sure our children are receiving healthy meals. These funds will go a long way to improving the nutritional offerings in schools.” Schools high on the priority list for funding are those with a majority of students receiving free and reduced price lunch; other schools requesting funds must participate in the National School Lunch Program. The “quality, safety and efficiency of delivering meals” is the goal of the funding, with schools able to use the money for replacing, upgrading or updating equipment. More information is available at Squaremeals.org.
7. School’s Food Service Could Sustain Budget Cut
(Eastern North Carolina Today, April 26, 2009)
Although 17 positions in the Lenoir County, N.C. school system’s Exceptional Children Program have been saved thanks to federal stimulus money, the County is still cutting the budget to save money. State-funded program cuts total $825,000, and locally funded cuts equal $1.2 million. Child nutrition programs sustained $215,000 in cuts, and cafeteria workers will see a 10 percent cut in their pay once the proposed budget is approved. Speaking on the cafeteria cut, school board member Garland Nobles, Jr. said “I have a problem with attacking the lowest-paid people. There has to be another way we can find to save.” Last year, the school system tried augmenting the budget by charging more for school lunch.
8. Oregon WIC Program Numbers Exceed Capacity
(The Oregonian, April 26, 2009)
Oregon’s WIC program now serves 103 percent of capacity as the economy continues to take its toll on mothers and children. WIC is not an entitlement program, like SNAP/Food Stamps and school breakfast and lunch – the money can run out. The upcoming child nutrition reauthorization probably won’t change this fact, notes article author David Sarasohn. He mentions that FRAC is proposing the monthly food package amount be increased with more fruits and vegetables. “WIC represents the nation’s most successful nutrition program addressing the needs of the most economically disadvantaged,” said Johns Hopkins University medical school professor David Paige in testimony before the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee recently. According to USDA data, almost three-quarters of WIC clients are below the poverty line, with two out of five below 50 percent of the poverty line. Oregon’s Democratic Senator Ron Wyden supports additional funding for the program, and said “You’ve got to hand it to the president for laying down a marker for reducing child hunger in America. Childhood hunger highlights the need for new budget priorities.”
9. WIC Mothers Encouraged to Breastfeed
(Louisville Courier-Journal, April 27, 2009)
WIC’s new food package, which will be fully adopted by October, includes fresh produce and whole grains. The program is also taking the time to encourage clients to breastfeed. In Kentucky, only 48 percent of babies born in 2005 were breast fed, according to CDC statistics, ranking the state second-lowest in the nation (above Louisiana). The national average was 74 percent; Indiana was just below at 65 percent. Peer counselors are working with 743 clients to keep them breastfeeding, noted Barbara Ruedel, breast feeding promotion coordinator for the Louisville Metro Department of Health and Wellness. The volunteer program has so far served more than 3,500 women. Research shows that breast feeding reduces infection risks in babies; in mothers it reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes, cancers (breast and ovarian), and helps with postpartum depression.
10. Concentration May Improve by Eating Cereal
(The Telegraph, UK, April 26, 2009)
In a review of scientific journals on breakfast cereal consumption, researchers at King’s College London found a study reporting children who had no breakfast or just a glucose drink had “significantly reduced” attention and memory compared to children who had cereal for breakfast. “Consuming breakfast cereal reduced the deficit to attention and for some aspects of memory prevents the deficit altogether,” said Dr. Katrina Campbell, one of the researchers. In addition, consuming a low glycemic index, whole grain breakfast can significantly reduce declines in attention and memory during the morning, compared to consumption of a high glycemic index breakfast, like white toast. Skipping breakfast had negative effects on the ability to recall word lists and stories read aloud, and cut visual perception and spatial memory performance, verbal fluency and academic performance. Research studies of children who participated in school breakfast programs found that they have better math grades and lower absentee and late attendances. Overall, the scientific review of journals found agreement that breakfast can positively affect “brain performance” in studies contrasting eating breakfast with skipping breakfast.
11. Data Shows Extent of Hunger Among Senior Citizens in Kansas
(Clay Center Dispatch, April 24, 2009)
According to a national study by Meals on Wheels, Kansas was one of the top states in numbers of seniors – two to five percent - experiencing hunger; the study looked at data from 2001 to 2005. In addition, 10 to 12 percent of Kansas seniors were “marginally insecure about food,” putting the state at the midpoint when compared to other states. Seniors living with a grandchild were more likely to be concerned with going hungry. “What we think is happening is grandparents are sacrificing their own nutrition and giving more to their grandchildren,” said Barb LeClair of the Kansas Health Institute. SNAP/Food Stamps are only helping a third of the seniors who are eligible, due to barriers such as eligibility confusion, the application process, and a low monthly benefit ($16). However, most seniors receive more than that amount.
12. Healthy Choices in Fast Food Restaurants Push People to Order Less Healthy Meals
(Australian Food News, April 27, 2009)
Research uncovered a “vicarious goal fulfillment” effect when studying fast food restaurants that offer healthy food options. Having a salad on the menu can actually push people to order the less healthy options, as they feel they’ve already achieved the goal of healthier eating just by thinking about it or taking a small action. The research was led by Gavan Fitzsimons, Professor of Marketing and Psychology at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. When presented with “unhealthy” choices only, study participants with high food self-control levels (assessed through a pre-test) avoided the menu’s least healthy item. But, when a salad was added to the menu, they were more likely to order the least healthy item. “What this shows is that adding one or two healthy items to a menu is essentially the worst thing you can do,” said Fitzsimons. “Because, while a few consumers will choose the healthy option, it causes most consumers to make drastically worse choices.” Fitzsimons explained that the salad has a “liberating effect” on those people who value choosing healthy foods. Just seeing the healthy option “fulfills their need to make healthy choices.” This means that schools and other establishments may need to eliminate unhealthy foods altogether in order to effectively change eating habits, noted Fitzsimons.
13. Buffalo, N.Y. Joins Other Cities in Planting Urban Gardens
(Buffalo News, April 26, 2009)
Buffalo, N.Y. residents are joining a “national movement toward creating green spaces, eating local food and connecting with nature,” by planting urban vegetable gardens, according to this article. These community gardens, developed in vacant lots, help residents access fresh vegetables and can provide jobs for teens, as the city’s West Side garden has done for the past seven years. Though popular for years, community gardens are experiencing a new burst of interest as people grow more concerned with eating locally, saving money, and eating healthy foods. According to Samina Raja, assistant professor in the urban and regional planning department at the University of Buffalo, communities across the country are turning vacant urban lots into gardens and farms. In Washington, DC, first lady Michelle Obama recently broke ground on the White House kitchen garden. Communities respond to one urban gardening challenge – poor, often contaminated soil – by raising planting beds; some have collected rainwater on site for irrigation. Back in Buffalo, farmers involved in developing a second garden on the West Side are interested in providing residents, many of whom rely on SNAP/Food Stamps, with pesticide-free vegetables. The growers have applied for permits to accept the benefit for their produce.
14. Farmers Market in Low-Income Area Holds Event for Neighborhood
(Columbia Missourian, April 25, 2009)
High cost, lack of transportation, and low awareness were the barriers low-income people cited that kept them from shopping at farmers’ markets in Columbia, Mo., although they appreciated local food, noting that it’s “healthy, fresh and organic.” The findings came from an survey of 450 respondents conducted on election day in November 2008 by the nonprofit group Sustainable Farms & Communities, which works with farmers’ markets. The group’s executive director, Casey Corbin, is trying to connect local residents to a farmers’ market in Columbia’s First Ward, and recently hosted a Neighbor Appreciation Day. “[T]he market sits right in the middle of two areas and we want to know and address their barriers in accessing fresh food,” Corbin said. “It’s a small step, the first one really, to connect with our neighbors who do not shop here.” Almost 60 percent of families in the neighborhood are headed by single women, who work hard and are under stress, a “key issue the market needs to take note of,” said Samuel Robinson, a minister with Urban Empowerment Ministries Church. Susy Gutierrez lives two blocks from the market yet never shopped there. “It’s so much easier for me to buy food from the grocery store,” she said, and added that the weekends find her busy with cooking and cleaning, leaving no time to visit the market. However, after she attended the neighborhood event, she found that the food on sale “is not all that inaccessible or unaffordable.” The next step for Corbin’s organization: working with churches to develop neighborhood shuttles to and from the market, which would address the transportation barrier. Some residents walk up to four miles to catch a bus, noted Samuel Robinson. “If you are spending $40 on a cab, how can you buy fresh food?” he asked.
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