OCTOBER NEWS
IT’S FARM TO SCHOOL MONTH!
Farm to School enriches the connection communities have with fresh, healthy food and local food producers by changing food purchasing and education practices at schools and preschools. Celebrate Farm to School Month in your community, and click here for helpful resources from the National Farm to School Network.
‘SNACK&GO’ GETS ATTENTION
Success with a Healthy Neighborhood Store project in Omaha led to the creation of a new approach to offering healthy snacks in stores through the Snack&GO project. Recently, Snack&GO has been receiving media attention including Healthier Eating on the Run on Omaha’s NBC affiliate and this story on Omaha’s Fox affiliate.
A project led by Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, the purpose of Snack&GO is to make it easier for people to locate and choose a nutritious treat. Vibrant signage on designated Snack&GO displays will help customers identify baskets and coolers filled with healthier, ready-to-eat snack options, such as fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grain snacks and refreshing drinks.
As part of the Douglas County Putting Prevention to Work initiative, Healthy Neighborhood Stores has piloted Snack&GO in three locations - Afoma Corner Store at 5522 S. 30th Street and K-N-J Grocery Store 3301 California Street in Omaha as well as Cubby’s at 15625 CW Hadan Drive in Bennington, Neb.
NEW PROJECT FOR MSU ANNOUNCED
The Center was awarded an evaluation contract to help facilitate the development of a shared measurement system with the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems. The development of this shared measurement system will utilize a collective impact framework and will include partners from throughout the state of Michigan in the area of local food systems.
Over the next 12 to15 months, the Center will work with the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems as well as partners and stakeholders to compile existing activities and measures. In early to mid-2015, measures will be prioritized that align with the goals of the Michigan Good Food Charter to move forward a cross-sector coordination of food systems efforts in Michigan.
CENTER AWARDED USDA GRANT TO SOURCE MORE LOCAL BEEF IN NEBRASKA
The Center was recently awarded a Local Food Promotion Program grant through the Agricultural Marketing Service of the United States Department of Agriculture to conduct a project titled “Where’s the Beef? A Needs Assessment for Connecting Local Beef Production to Small Stores in Rural Nebraska.” The purpose of this study is to conduct an assessment that will inform the connections and strategies necessary to link small stores with locally produced beef.
Given the limited access to healthy foods in rural communities and limited infrastructure supporting locally produced foods, small stores in this project are seen as food hubs with capacity to aggregate, store, process and market locally produced beef.
Building on previous assessments and evaluations, this project will focus more specifically on beef production and local supply chains in rural areas in Nebraska with low food access. This will help to identify areas of opportunity or potential “bottle necks.”
PINARD TESTIFIES ON BENEFITS OF LOCAL FOODS
FOR LR 545
Along with farmer Jim Knopik, Greg Fripp of Whispering Roots and Jon Bailey of the Center for Rural Affairs, Center Research Scientist Courtney Pinard testified on LR 545 to members of the State Agriculture Committee on September 25 at the Northstar Foundation in Omaha.
Senator Rick Kolowski of legislative district 31 introduced LR 545 to ignite a statewide discussion on local food and how we can improve the production, processing, distribution and consumption of it in Nebraska.
Dr. Pinard shared information about the benefits of local food systems and some of the research behind it as this hearing will help inform the development of policies that address local foods issues.
GRANNY SMITH APPLES BETTER FOR OBESITY FIGHT?
A study released recently from the State of Washington indicated that Granny smith apples may be the ‘best’ apple for fighting obesity. New Postdoctoral Fellow Eric Calloway, PhD was interviewed by Omaha’s Fox television affiliate on this subject. Watch the video here.
CENTER STAFF TRAVELING TO SEVERAL CONFERENCES THIS MONTH
On October 9 and 10, Drs. Amy Yaroch and Dan Schober and Associate Director Leah Carpenter are attending the LiveWell@School Food Initiative Leadership Conference for Colorado school food service directors in Colorado Springs. Schober and Carpenter will present “Key Findings from the 2013 LiveWell@School Food Initiative Evaluation," and they will administer a survey to participants attending the conference about their experience.
Dr. Dan Schober is presenting at the American Evaluation Association Conference in Denver, October 15 through 18. On October 16, he will present “Development of A Menu Analysis Instrument for Evaluating the Effects of the LiveWell@School Food Initiative in Colorado” as part of a session titled “From Cafeterias to Convenience Stores: Measuring success and context in obesity prevention.”
Dr. Amy Yaroch is attending the Leadership for Healthy Communities Summit, “A Decade of Action Advancing Policies to Improve Our Nation's Health,” in Washington, D.C. on October 16 and 17. Yaroch serves on the National Advisory Committee and will be facilitating a roundtable discussion titled “Access to Healthy Affordable Foods.”
Drs. Amy Yaroch and Courtney Pinard are attending the Michigan Good Food Summit on October 27 and 28, and will be presenting at a breakout session on Achieving and Measuring Food System Change in Michigan.
NEW RESEARCH CONSULTANT BEGINS WORK
Brittany Schwartz has been hired as a part-time research consultant at the Center. Schwartz is currently pursuing her Masters of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, with an expected graduation date of December 2015. Living in Omaha since 2008 and a native of Bismarck, N.D., she previously attended Creighton University, majoring in psychology.
The Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition aids in survey development and evaluation for national organizations and others. If you are interested in finding out more about these services, please contact Dr. Amy Yaroch, executive director, at ayaroch@centerfornutrition.org.
