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Nutrition Policy Institute News

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The latest news and updates from the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources. Sign up to receive Research to Action, the Nutrition Policy Institute's quarterly news brief providing information on research, policy, news, announcements, events, articles and action items focused on nutrition and healthy communities.

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Article

New study on beverage consumption in early care and education settings shows that children may be overconsuming sugar-sweetened beverages

March 26th, 2025
By Jean Aquino, Danielle Lee, Lorrene D Ritchie
A recent study provides insight on the beverage consumption of  U.S. children ages 12-60 months while in early care and education, or ECE, settings across multiple states from 2008-2020. A high quality diet, including beverages, early in life is important for building long-term healthy eating…
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Article

New study on California school meals shows that scratch-cooking and the use of organic and locally grown foods may reduce barriers to student meal participation

March 25th, 2025
By Jean Aquino, Danielle Lee, Monica D Zuercher, Wendi Gosliner
A 2025 California study surveying 430 California school food authorities, SFAs, evaluated the use of scratch-cooked, organic, and locally grown foods in school meals. For many U.S. children, school meals contribute a significant portion of their diet and offer an opportunity to improve diet quality amid…
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Article

NPI paper on association between food acquisition, diet, and body weight during COVID-19 nominated for Nutrients Best Paper Award

March 21st, 2025
By Reka Vasicsek, Summer J Cortez, Miranda W Brown
A new Nutrition Policy Institute research brief summarizes findings from a 2023 study—currently a candidate for Nutrients' Best Paper of 2023—titled “Associations between Changes in Food Acquisition Behaviors, Dietary Intake, and Body Weight during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Low-Income Parents in California…
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Article

New NPI research brief highlights importance of store participation in SNAP and WIC for healthy food retail environment

March 20th, 2025
By Reka Vasicsek, Summer J Cortez, Richard Pulvera, Wendi Gosliner
A new research brief from the Nutrition Policy Institute highlights the role of federal and state programs in promoting healthy and equitable food retail environments. The study, “Availability and Quality of Healthy Foods Vary by Store Participation in SNAP and WIC in Low-Income California Neighborhoods,”…
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