FRAC News Digest - November 5, 2004

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.

Issue 41, November 5, 2004

Very Young Children More Likely to be Hungry or Food Insecure than Before
Share of US Income Going to Wages and Salaries at Record Low
Job Market Downturn Longest Since Great Depression
Welfare Reform Needs Work
Attitude and Economic Factors Influence Body Weight
Rhode Island: Advocate Pushes for Free School Breakfast
Washington, DC: State Education Agency Head is "Breath of Fresh Air"
Idaho: Food Stamp Demand Up 15 Percent from 2003
New Jersey: Letter of the Month Offers Answers to Childhood Obesity
New York: Recovery Skips Working Poor
California: Salad Bars a Hit at School Cafeterias
Florida: State Minimum Wage Hike Passes
Arizona: Voters Ok Limits on Food Stamps for Immigrants

1. Very Young Children More Likely to be Hungry or Food Insecure than Before

("Who's looking out for the little ones?" Philadelphia Daily News, November 2, 2004)

Steadily rising rates of food insecurity among very young patients' families has pediatricians across the country alarmed. Food insecurity is the limited or uncertain access to enough nutritious food. It is primarily the result of poverty. It leads to many short-term health problems such as higher rates of infection and hospitalization, as well as lifelong developmental consequences for children. Compared to 1999, food insecurity is now 77 percent more likely to be found in low-income households with children up to 3 years old, according to data through June from the Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program (C-SNAP). Infants and toddlers are now 95 percent more likely to experience poor diet or hunger compared to 1999. The answer to this problem is better access to federal programs like food stamps.

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/opinion/10075461.htm

The report "Rising Prevalence of Food Insecurity, Anthropometric Risk, and Urgent Hospitalizations in US born children of US born parents 1999-2001":
http://dcc2.bumc.bu.edu/csnappublic/timetrend2.htm

2. Share of US Income Going to Wages and Salaries at Record Low

("Share of Economy Going to Wages and Salaries Drops For Unprecedented 14th Straight Quarter," Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, October 29, 2004)

A steadily dropping share of the nation’s income is going to wages and salaries, reveals new data for the third quarter of 2004. The share of real income for 14 straight quarters that has gone to wages and salaries during the current recovery has been shrinking and is smaller than during any other post-World War II recovery period. Meanwhile, the share of real income growth that has gone to corporate profits has been larger than during all other post-World War II recoveries. The study also found that the share of national income consisting of wages and salaries is at the lowest level since 1929, the earliest data on record. The wages/salaries share of GDP fell from 49.5 percent in the first quarter of 2001 to 45.4 percent today.

http://www.cbpp.org/10-29-04pov.htm

3. Job Market Downturn Longest Since Great Depression

("'Jobless Recovery' Feels A Lot Like Recession," Wall Street Journal)

The US is experiencing its most protracted job market downturn since the Great Depression. The total number of people unemployed -- including discouraged workers who would prefer to work but have stopped looking -- is about 9 million. The number of people who are working part-time because they cannot find full-time work is 4.6 million, up 39 percent since 2001. Even well-educated workers have been hit hard, in contrast to previous recessions that tended to affect young and less-educated workers. Structural changes in industry are playing a role. Whereas employers in the past would lay off workers temporarily, employers today more often are eliminating jobs, with no intention of rehiring workers, said Erica Groshen, with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. "You end up with a jobless recovery," says Jared Bernstein, a labor economist with the Economic Policy Institute. "It is indistinguishable from recession for many working families."

http://www.careerjournal.com/salaryhiring/hotissues/20030610-hilsenrath.html

4. Welfare Reform Needs Work

("Welfare reform: Plenty of work left," Philadelphia Daily News, November 2, 2004)

This op-ed by the Brookings Institution's Margy Waller critiques the Bush Administration's welfare proposals. The US Census announced last summer that poverty had increased in 2003, with 43 percent of all poor people living in "deep" poverty, defined as an annual income below approximately $7,500 for a family of three. Despite the numbers, the percentage of families eligible for temporary welfare assistance has declined dramatically. And if the poverty measure reflected the cost of child care, 1.9 million additional people would be poor. The Administration's proposals do not fit today's job market and do not meet the need for child care, education, and transportation services.

http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/opinion/10075463.htm

5. Attitude and Economic Factors Influence Body Weight

("The Role of Economics in Eating Choices and Weight Outcomes," Economic Research Service US Department of Agriculture, October 2004)

Attitudes about diet and health play a role in body weight, according to a study by the Economic Research Service. Compared with women of healthy weight, overweight and obese women are less likely to believe they have control over their weight. Nearly 60 percent of overweight and obese men consider themselves to have a healthy weight. The study also found that socioeconomic factors significantly affect an individual's ability to achieve good health. People with higher incomes and educational attainment invest more in their personal health. Men that earn more drink fewer sugary beverages and exercise more frequently. Time constraints may be a barrier for single parents, who tend to to have a poorer diet.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/AIB791/

Download the report "The Role of Economics in Eating Choices and Weight Outcomes":
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aib791/aib791.pdf

6. Rhode Island: Advocate Pushes for Free School Breakfast

("Advocate pushes for free school breakfast," WoonsocketCall.com, October 29, 2004)

Roger Harris appealed for the third time to his local School Committee to pass free breakfast for all children in the school. The measure would give breakfast to children who are too proud to take assistance. If all students at local schools had an opportunity to have a free breakfast, Harris believes, stigma would no longer exist and more low-income children would participate. "The fact is a lot of kids come to school hungry," Harris said while making his appeal. And hungry children do not do well in school. Harris pointed to the successful adoption of universal breakfast in Providence, Cranston, Central Falls, and Pawtucket. The request, however, once again ran into stiff opposition from School Committeeman John Ward, who does not believe the school department's responsibility is to ensure that students come to school fed.

http://tinyurl.com/4qj36

7. Washington, DC: State Education Agency Head is "Breath of Fresh Air"

("Acting Head of Agency Lauded as a 'Breath of Fresh Air," Washington Post, October 31, 2004)

Collaboration and morale are up in the District of Columbia State Education Office, the agency that handles child nutrition, since Deborah Gist became interim director last summer. The office is responsible for implementing eight federally-funded nutrition programs in the District. Kim Perry, head of D.C. Hunger Solutions, a project of the Food and Research Action Center, called Gist "a breath of fresh air. The biggest change is that this interim State Education Office is open to public-private partnerships and open to the true meaning of collaboration." Vacancies are being filled and unclaimed federal funds are being recouped.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13134-2004Oct31.html

8. Idaho: Food Stamp Demand Up 15 Percent from 2003

("Food Bank Gears Up for Winter," KPVI-TV, October 26, 2004)

Idaho is experiencing a 15 percent increase in food stamp demand compared to last year, according to the state department of Health and Welfare. The Community Food Bank is also seeing demand at an all-time high. This year, the food bank has given out 381 boxes a month, a 50 percent increase over 2003.

http://www.kpvi.com/index.cfm?page=nbcheadlines.cfm&ID=22062

9. New Jersey: Letter of the Month Offers Answers to Childhood Obesity

("Vending machine changes just part of obesity fight," Asbury Park Press Online, October 29, 2004)

The Asbury Park Press picked as the Letter of the Month Joseph Zelma's call for schools to go beyond implementing healthy vending machines to curb childhood obesity. Cafeteria menus should be revised with healthier, low-fat food, Zelma wrote. Lunch periods should not be postponed and students should have breaks to allow them to eat snacks throughout the day, which prevent overeating. Schools should promote exercise, and health classes should discuss exercise and nutrition.

http://www.app.com/app/story/0,21625,1094556,00.html

10. New York: Recovery Skips Working Poor

("Recovery skips working poor," New York Daily News, November 1, 2004)

Nine out of 10 workers with full-time jobs said their finances have not improved in the past year. More than a third, 36 percent, said things actually have gotten worse, according to a new survey by the Community Service Society of New York. Among the low-wage workers surveyed this summer, 36 percent had to rely on food pantries or food banks, and a third had lost utility or phone service at some point during the year. A low-wage job does not cover basic needs. About one-third of survey respondents had under $100 in savings, making them "one missed paycheck away from disaster," said Nancy Rankin, Community Service Society research director.

http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/248091p-212473c.html

Download the report "The Unheard Third":
http://www.cssny.org/pdfs/2004survey1102.pdf

11. California: Salad Bars a Hit at School Cafeterias

("If You Build It, Children Will Come to the Salad Bar," Los Angeles Times, November 4, 2004)

Long lines for school cafeteria salad bars have been forming in Compton, a school district where nearly all of the 32,500 children qualify for free lunch. The salad bars were implemented in five schools last spring, and more children are choosing them over traditional lunch. The salad bars serve fresh fruit and vegetables from California farms, and will expand by spring to all 24 elementary campuses. In addition, a $2 million federal grant helps pay for a harvest-of-the-month lesson, chef visits, school gardens, tastings, and lessons in science, math or reading that are based on food. The salad bars are part of a movement around the country called farm to school. Nine percent of US public schools offer a daily salad bar that provides an entire meal, not just a side dish. There are fewer salad bars in poor schools and in urban schools.

http://tinyurl.com/5ju9r

12. Florida: State Minimum Wage Hike Passes

("Voters give minimum-wage workers a pay hike," Sarasota Herald-Tribune, November 4, 2004)

Voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure to raise the state minimum wage $1 from $5.15 to $6.15 an hour. Thousands of Floridians that earn the minimum wage will benefit. While opponents argued that raising the wage would cost jobs, studies have found no link between wage boosts and significant job losses in the other states that have bumped up the minimum wage.

http://tinyurl.com/6lgfw

13. Arizona: Voters OK Limits on Food Stamps for Immigrants

("Arizona Approves Illegals' Aid Limits," Washington Times, November 3, 2004)

Arizona voters approved on November 2 to restrict state aid to undocumented immigrants. Official returns showed 54 percent of the state's voters in favor of Proposition 200 (the Arizona Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act) with 91 percent of precincts reporting. Arizona is the busiest entry point for immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border. The measure will affect undocumented immigrants' access to food stamps, welfare, and other social services.

http://washingtontimes.com/national/20041103-025212-2007r.htm

Editor's Note: Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for food stamp benefits, and only certain legal immigrants are eligible for food stamp benefits.