- Author: Katherine Lanca
- Editor: Danielle L. Lee
- Editor: Wendi Gosliner
- Editor: Samantha Sam-Chen
In April 2023, CalFresh (California's version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits were reduced for over 3 million program participants due to the ending of COVID emergency increases. Nutrition Policy Institute researchers Wendi Gosliner and Samantha Sam-Chen were featured in a University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources article in English and Spanish and a video interview to recognize inadequacies of the benefit amount. Gosliner points out that many CalFresh participants are eligible for other safety net programs, some of which they may not be accessing. “With the high cost of living, ongoing inflation and extreme income and wealth disparities, people are being forced to explore every possible avenue just to feed themselves and their families,” she said. In the video interview, Sam-Chen encourages CalFresh participants to utilize other nutrition assistance programs designed to supplement benefit amounts, specifically California's Market Match Program. The Market Match Program is administered at farmers markets and gives CalFresh shoppers a dollar-for-dollar match, from $10 to $15 dollars, to buy local fruits and vegetables. Sam-Chen, whose research evaluates MarketMatch, explained that “..con ese dinero adicional, pueden comprar más frutas y verduras,” in English, “...with that additional money, they [participants] can purchase more fruits and vegetables.” Both voices from the Nutrition Policy Institute expressed concerns about families losing critical funds to feed their families at this time, and noted that CalFresh participants may be eligible for other supporting programs to help them feed their families in the context of the benefit cuts. The article titled “UC ANR experts offer counsel as CalFresh benefits shrink, participants face hunger” was written by Mike Hsu, UC ANR senior public information representative. It was also featured as a FarmProgress news article titled “UC offers counsel as CalFresh benefits shrink” on April 20, 2023.
- Author: Danielle L. Lee
- Editor: Lorrene Ritchie
The latest issue of Stanford Medicine Magazine showcases Nutrition Policy Institute's collaborative research with pediatrician Anisha Patel from Stanford Medicine, Department of Pediatrics to improve access to drinking water for school children. The article, titled "Gulp: With drinking water out of reach for many kids, a pediatrician partners with schools to get them access,” chronicles the development of a rich partnership between Patel, community advocates, and NPI's senior policy adviser Christina Hecht, policy director Ken Hecht, as well as a collaborative National Institutes of Health-funded research project conducted by Patel and Nutrition Policy Institute, the Water First project. The Stanford Medicine Magazine article was published online on January 23, 2023.
Successful partnerships between the Nutrition Policy Institute, UC Davis, the California WIC Association, the National WIC Association and Public Health Foundation Enterprises-WIC were featured in a recent UC Agriculture and Natural Resources article. The article highlights collaborative efforts to inform Federal and State program and policy changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which serves over 6.3 million participants across the nation. Lorrene Ritchie, director of the Nutrition Policy Institute, emphasized that the relationship with WIC-serving organizations is critical to the success of the research. “They tell us what we need to know to be able to inform policy and to be able to help quickly.” Ritchie also said she appreciates their ability to disseminate the information to stakeholders. The article also features partners Lauren Au from UC Davis, Shannon Whaley from Public Health Foundation Enterprises-WIC, Karen Farley from the California WIC Association, and Christina Chauvenet from the National WIC Association.
In a recent CNN article, Lauren Au, Assistant Professor at the University of California, Davis in the Department of Nutrition and an affiliated researcher with the Nutrition Policy Institute, shared her thoughts on the proposed changes to school nutrition standards. The United States Department of Agriculture has proposed new rules that would allow flavored milk in school but also place gradual limits on the added sugars and sodium in school foods and strengthen the Buy American requirements encouraging schools to use more locally grown food. Au was quoted in the article, “It's a step forward in terms of promoting healthy nutrition in schools. The reduction of added sugar is a big deal. Reducing added sugars for this age range is so important.” The article also cited Au's research, which she conducted during her time at NPI, which showed that children who eat meals at school ate more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy, compared with those who ate at school less frequently. The article titled “Proposed changes to school lunches aim to reduce sugar and sodium, but flavored milk stays” was published on February 3, 2023. Au was also quoted in a The New York Times article on February 3 titled “Agriculture Dept. Proposes Limits on Sugar and Salt in School Meals.” The comment period for the proposed USDA rule is open through April 10, 2023.
- Author: Katherine Lanca
- Editor: Danielle L. Lee
- Editor: Christina Hecht
- Editor: Lorrene Ritchie
Christina Hecht, senior policy adviser with the University of California's Nutrition Policy Institute, was featured in a Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN) article titled “Why America's food-security crisis is a water-security crisis, too,” published on November 20, 2022. Hecht's research on drinking water safety, access, and consumption informs her advocacy for equitable water access. Her work also highlights water's importance, as an alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages. She also coordinates the National Drinking Water Alliance, founded under NPI's leadership in 2015 with the mission of enabling people to choose water. In the FERN article, Hecht highlights the link between making healthy beverage choices and tap water safety, saying, “We discussed whether we needed to prioritize making sure that tap water was safe, but in 2015, we really didn't think that that was a big issue. Then Flint happened.” This story also appeared in Mother Jones journal on November 25, 2022.