The weekly Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) 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. Food Stamp Participation: 7.6 Million More People Received Food Stamps in December 2006 than in December 2001
2. Agriculture Secretary Announces $5 Million in Food Stamp Program Participation Grants
3. WIC Is One of Government’s Top-Performing Programs
4. Millions of Children Eat in School Cafeterias That Do Not Get Health Inspections Required by Law
5. With Simple Question, School Children Will Eat Fruit, Study Says
6. Schools Discover Unexpected Costs of Removing Soda from Vending Machines
7. Low-Income Families Pay Extra In Time and Money for Lack of Proximity to Basic Retail and Services
8. Federal Spending on Children Declines, Study Says
9. New Federal Rule Shuts Out Many Eligible United States Citizens from Receiving Medicaid
10. Nevada: Washoe County Opens Computer Kiosks for Food Stamp Applications at Selected Grocery Stores
11. Nevada: Reporter Steps into Shoes of Food Stamp Recipient
12. Mississippi: Tate County School Board Unanimously Approves Summer Food and Breakfast Programs
13. Massachusetts: Andover Schools Launch Debit Card System to Improve Access to School Meals
14. California – Op-Ed: School Gardens Will Help Students to Understand Importance of Nutrition and Agriculture
15. New York: Costs of Healthy Eating Are High

1. Food Stamp Participation: 7.6 Million More People Received Food Stamps in December 2006 than in December 2001

(“Food Stamp Participation in December 2006 Up Over Month, While 7.6 Million More Got Food Stamps than in December 2001, Many Eligible People Were Still Missed,” frac.org, March 22, 2007)

In December 2006, more than 26 million people, an increase of 86,171 from the previous month, participated in the Food Stamp Program. The overall caseload for December 2006 was nearly half a million persons lower than the prior December, when some Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma victims received disaster food stamp benefits. Still, December 2006 participation levels were 7.6 million persons higher than in December 2001. Nonetheless, the program still is missing nearly four out of ten eligible people. Participation has risen in 59 of the last 72 months, but in only seven of the last 12 months. At a time when more than 35 million people in the United States face a constant struggle against hunger, continuing to strengthen the Food Stamp Program’s reach is vital.

http://www.frac.org/html/news/fsp/2006.12_FSP.html

2. Agriculture Secretary Announces $5 Million in Food Stamp Program Participation Grants

(“USDA Announces Availability of $5 Million in Food Stamp Program Participation Grants,” fns.usda.gov, March 13, 2007)

Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced the availability of $5 million in Food Stamp Program grants to improve access to food stamps for low-income households. The grants are intended to raise awareness about the program and encourage those who are eligible for benefits to sign up. “Expanding our partnerships with state governments, as well as faith-based and community organizations, will help to further enhance access to families needing nutrition assistance,” said Johanns. In 2007, USDA plans to fund at least one proposal that involves a partnership between a state agency and one or more private nonprofits, including faith or community based organizations. Grant applications will be accepted for the next 90 days.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cga/PressReleases/2007/PR-0068.htm

Also see http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/government/grants/cover-letter-07.htm (“FY 2007 Food Stamp Program Participation Grants”)

3. WIC Is One of Government’s Top-Performing Programs

(“Assessment Shows Oregon WIC Works,” salem-news.com, March 21, 2007)

A U.S. Office of Management and Budget assessment confirmed that the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is one of government’s top-performing programs. According to OMB, WIC was one of only 20 programs to receive the highest ranking possible among 179 “Programs Related to Health and Well Being.” Of the total 977 federal programs assessed, WIC came in among the top 17 percent. OMB found WIC’s 2006 performance had a positive impact on birth outcomes and children’s nutrition and immunization rates. The program also received high marks for efficient use of program funds and maximizing its ability to serve eligible clients. WIC “reaches families most in need of preventive health services who otherwise would not have access to them,” said Katherine Bradley of the Oregon Department of Human Services Public Health Division. OMB identified childhood obesity as a future challenge to be addressed by the program. “WIC is making changes to its food package to address the obesity issue. Improving breastfeeding rates will help because breastfed babies have a lower risk for obesity later in life,” Bradley said.

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/march212007/wicworks_032107.php

4. Millions of Children Eat in School Cafeterias That Do Not Get Health Inspections Required by Law

(“Many School Cafeterias Rarely Inspected,” abcnews.go.com, March 16, 2007)

The 2005-2006 school year was the first year Congress required two school cafeteria inspections per year. But according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one in 10 schools did not get inspected at all last year. Twenty-nine percent of schools, or 27,184 out of 94,132 schools, were inspected only once. The inspection rules help prevent food poisoning and apply to all schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program. Fewer inspections contribute “to all the other little things – temperatures, rat droppings – to all those things that could make your child sick,” said Ken Kelly of the Center for Science in the Public Interest that has studied cafeteria safety. Scheduling inspections is the responsibility of state and local health departments, which often are severely understaffed. When Congress doubled the inspection requirement, it did not provide funding for more inspections. Statistically, school cafeterias are not a frequent source of food poisoning, as restaurants, and have better trained workers. But while outbreaks in schools are rare, children are at greater risk for complications from E. coli, salmonella and other foodborne germs, said Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. “We have to remain vigilant and do all that we can to ensure that our school food safety system provides the best possible protection for our kids,” Harkin said.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=2957570

5. With Simple Question, School Children Will Eat Fruit, Study Says

(“Simple Question Gets School Children to Eat Fruit,” nlm.nih.gov, March 20, 2007)

Getting children to eat more fruit might require just a simple verbal prompt in the school lunch line, according to a study of school lunch programs published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. When cafeteria workers asked elementary school children if they wanted fruit or juice with their lunch, the children usually took one or the other. The study compared two schools. At the school where children were asked if they wanted fruit or juice, 90 percent opted for one or the other. The other school had the same amount of fruit and juice, but it was presented without a question. Only 60 percent of students at this school took the fruit or juice. Dr. Marlene B. Schwartz of the Yale University Department of Psychology suggested that the federal government increase reimbursement rates per school lunch served and also change the guidelines to make fruits and vegetables one of the three options students must include in their lunch every day.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_46773.html

Also see http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/4/1/6 (“The influence of a verbal prompt on school lunch fruit consumption: a pilot study”)

6. Schools Discover Unexpected Costs of Removing Soda from Vending Machines

(“Removing Schools’ Soda Is Sticky Point,” washingtonpost.com, March 22, 2007)

School districts across the country may not be able to afford to remove high-calorie drinks and limit sugary beverages sold to students because of contracts they signed several years ago with bottlers for the beverage companies. In Racine, Wis., school officials decided not to remove high-calorie drinks from high schools after they learned they would have to pay the local Pepsi bottler $200,000. In Portland, Ore., school officials found that they would have to pay the local Coca-Cola bottling company $600,000. Some consumer advocates say that the bottling contracts make the beverage industry’s voluntary agreement to remove unhealthy drinks from schools meaningless. Almost 75 percent of high schools, 65 percent of middle schools, and 30 percent of elementary schools around the country have exclusive marketing agreements with bottling companies. The contracts can last up to 10 years, and there are penalties if a school does not meet sales targets or if a school changes the mix of beverages sold. Kevin W. Keane, a spokesman for the American Beverage Association, said bottlers could not be expected to take a financial hit to implement the guidelines because they made an investment by giving up-front money to schools that signed a contract.

http://tinyurl.com/33c7vc

7. Low-Income Families Pay Extra In Time and Money for Lack of Proximity to Basic Retail and Services

(“Lack of Access to Services Taxing for Poor, Study Finds,” post-gazette.com, March 15, 2007)

Residents in low-income communities pay a ‘time tax’ of extra money or loss of personal time to access basic retail and services. According to Dr. Neckerman, a Columbia University sociologist, in some communities, residents must take a cab to get to the bank, rely on costly check-cashing agencies and take two buses to get to the supermarket. Neckerman also is co-investigator of a National Institutes of Health project on the impact of land use, public transit and housing on physical activity, diet, obesity and other aspects of health. She found that, on average, low-income families earn $15,000 a year, but because of spacial inequality, large chunks of their earnings are gobbled up by spending up to $2,000 a year on check-cashing service. “Time is money,” said Dr. Neckerman, and all the time and costs put pressure on families. Gentrification can exacerbate further the displacement of the poor as higher-income white residents move closer to the city’s line and its amenities and employment.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07074/769646-85.stm

8. Federal Spending on Children Declines, Study Says

(“Kids’ Share 2007,” urban.org, March 15, 2007)

The analysis of trends in federal spending on children from 1960 to 2017 reveals that children are a diminishing national priority, according to a study by the Urban Institute. The study evaluated more than 100 major federal programs, including Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and food stamps. Overall, federal children’s spending increased from 1.9 percent of GDP in 1960 to 2.6 percent of GDP in 2006, the study says. However, as a share of federal domestic spending, children’s spending declined from 20.1 percent to 15.4 percent. “Over the next ten years, children’s programs are scheduled to decline both as a share of GDP and domestic spending,” the authors write.

http://www.urban.org/publications/411432.html

9. New Federal Rule Shuts Out Many Eligible United States Citizens from Receiving Medicaid

(“Lacking Papers, Citizens Are Cut From Medicaid,” nytimes.com, March 12, 2007)

Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Ohio and Virginia report declines in Medicaid enrollment because of a new federal law that requires applicants to provide “satisfactory documentary evidence of citizenship.” The documents could include a passport or the combination of a birth certificate and a driver’s license. The requirement was intended to target illegal immigrants. But “the largest adverse effect of this policy has been on people who are American citizens,” said Kevin W. Concannon of the Department of Human Services in Iowa. The number of Iowa Medicaid recipients dropped by 5,700 in the second half of 2006, to 92,880, after rising for five years. In Florida, the number of children on Medicaid shrank by 63,000, to 1.2 million, from July 2006 to January 2007. “We’ve seen an increase in the number of people who don’t qualify for Medicaid because they cannot produce proof of citizenship,” said Albert A. Zimmerman, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Children and Families. “Nearly all of these people are American citizens,” he stressed. “The federal rule closed the door on our ability to enroll people over the telephone and the Internet, wiping out a full year of progress in covering kids,” said Cindi B. Jones, chief deputy director of the Virginia Medicaid program. Medicaid officials nationwide say some pregnant women are going without prenatal care and some parents are postponing checkups for their children while they track down birth certificates and other documents.

http://tinyurl.com/ywqc98

10. Nevada: Washoe County Opens Computer Kiosks for Food Stamp Applications at Selected Grocery Stores

(“Food Stamps in Washoe County,” newsreview.com, March 22, 2007)

Washoe County, Nev., opened new computer kiosks at select Albertson’s, Scolaris and Sac ’N’ Save stores where people who want to participate in the Food Stamp Program can fill out a food stamp application. U.S. Census data show that about 17,000 households in Washoe County were eligible for food stamps in 2004 but did not apply to receive them. According to the Nevada’s Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, four percent (15,890 people) of Washoe County residents receive food stamp assistance, while eight percent are eligible for it. Twenty-one percent of the county’s food stamp recipients work full- or part-time. The majority of adult participants (57 percent) are women and about 45 percent of all recipients are children under age 18.

http://www.newsreview.com/reno/Content?oid=300709

11. Nevada: Reporter Steps into Shoes of Food Stamp Recipient

(“The Food Stamps Diet,” newsreview.com, March 22, 2007)

Kat Kerlin, a reporter for the Reno ( Nev.) News and Review went on a food stamp diet “to see what it’s like to live off the equivalent of food stamps for a month.” Kerlin used the maximum food stamp benefit given an individual – $155 a month – to set her food budget. “I’m hungry and cranky, and I broke down,” wrote Kerlin during the first week of her experiment. “There was a yogurt I left in the office fridge from last week (not part of the budgeted diet), so I ate it to hold me over for the next 2-3 hours until I can go home and make dinner. Next week, I’ll buy some peanut butter to get me through the day,” Kerlin wrote. “There’s a weird, psychological deprivation … that comes from not being able to eat or buy food whenever, wherever I want, so when I finally get it, I inhale it, like someone might take it away from me,” she observed. Kerlin stopped the diet in the end of the second week unable to watch her out of town friends eating and drinking at restaurants when they came to visit her. In her story, she also describes people on real food stamps who she met at local food banks. She observed that for many of them, help with applying for food stamps can play a crucial role in whether they will have enough to eat. Kerlin discovered that the lack of basic conveniences such as a freezer and refrigerator or a car add extra difficulty to their ability to put food on the table.

http://www.newsreview.com/reno/Content?oid=300708

12. Mississippi: Tate County School Board Unanimously Approves Summer Food and Breakfast Programs

(“Schools to Begin Summer Feeding,” zwire.com, March 20, 2007)

If children are hungry during the school year, they’re probably hungry during the summer, too, reasoned the Tate County School Board in Mississippi and decided to act. Sixty-seven percent of the children in the district qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. Board members unanimously approved opening a summer feeding program at the cafeterias of Independence High School, Coldwater Elementary and Strayhorn Elementary schools. There would be one feeding site in each area of the county offering free meals to children under age 18, according to Mike Schwartz of the district’s food service program. The summer program would also provide free meals to local churches that have necessary equipment during their Vacation Bible School programs. Schwartz also said that the district would begin serving breakfast.

http://tinyurl.com/2xhcne

13. Massachusetts: Andover Schools Launch Debit Card System to Improve Access to School Meals

(“Success Is All in the Cards for School Lunch Program,” eagletribune.com, March 22, 2007)

In Andover, Mass., the trip through the school lunch line will soon be much easier for students. Instead of paying for breakfast or lunch with cash, the students will swipe a debit card through a reader and the money will be automatically deducted from their account. The new system will help protect the confidentiality of students who receive free or reduced-price meals because they will be able to use their accounts like everyone else. The system also will allow parents to monitor what their children are eating. After overhauling its food services department this year, Andover is offering healthier, fresh food and a breakfast program featuring bagels and coffee. Forty-four percent of students now have lunch at school, compared with 28 percent at the beginning of the year. Better participation has brought longer lines to school cafeterias, and debit cards are expected to speed them up, freeing students from the burden of looking for cash in their pockets.

http://www.eagletribune.com/punews/local_story_081093844

14. California – Op-Ed: School Gardens Will Help Students to Understand Importance of Nutrition and Agriculture

(“Agricultural and Nutritional Education Is a Seed Worth Planting,” cfbf.com, March 21, 2007)

In the 1990s, California launched an initiative to promote school garden and nutrition education programs, providing small start-up grants to schools. The state stopped participating in that program in 2002. “I am a big fan of school gardens, so last year I authored Assembly Bill 1535 to revitalize the state’s dormant program,” writes Fabian Nuñez, D- Los Angeles, the Speaker of the State Assembly. “My bill provided $15 million in grant funding for equipment, supplies and teacher training to schools that are interested in having their students develop and maintain a garden.” Fewer than one-third of California’s public schools have gardens. Nuñez urges schools to apply for the grants provided by his legislation. “Farms and gardens and fresh vegetables and the nutrition they provide can often be foreign things to a lot of kids. I believe school gardens will be invaluable tools in helping young people understand the importance of nutrition and agriculture,” he writes.

http://tinyurl.com/2c7wsj

15. New York: Costs of Healthy Eating Are High

(“Healthy Living Isn’t Always Easy or Affordable,” thejournalnews.com, March 18, 2007)

Annette Medina is worried about her 11-year-old son John. Medina’s recent raise of an extra dollar an hour placed her income over the limit to qualify for New York State’s Child Health Plus plan. As a result, she can’t afford coverage for her son. Her salary of a medical assistant is too small to afford healthier foods. “It aggravates me because I wish I could afford to eat healthy all the time, especially with my family history of diabetes and heart disease,” Medina said. Dr. Asaf Cohen of the Open Door Family Medical Center in Mount Kisco, N.Y., is familiar with the plight of parents like Medina. “For people with lower income, who could even be on food stamps, the cheaper food they have to buy is not the more nutritious food,” he said. “Most of them lack a lot of vegetables. They eat a lot of starches and a lot of meats. Those are the things that fill you up,” he explained. Cohen pointed out that “when you have only a certain amount of money to feed a family, it’s very hard to afford whole grain bread … or even enough food with vitamins and minerals.” In addition, low-wage earners often work several jobs to make ends meet and don’t have time to exercise. To help his clients, Cohen urges them to cut out greasy foods and find time to be physically active.

http://tinyurl.com/387nqy

For news tips, suggestions, comments, contact Olga Doty at odoty@frac.org