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.

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.

Lorrene Ritchie, Nutrition Policy Institute director and cooperative extension specialist, was quoted in an Oct. 17, 2022 News Nation article, “WIC extension led to fewer hungry kids; will it continue?”. The article speaks to the impact of inflation and supply chain issues on families and their ability to afford groceries. Done in collaboration with Dr. Shannon Whaley and her team at Public Health Foundation Enterprises-WIC, NPI research involving participants of the federal Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) was highlighted in the article. Her work to understand how the recent federal increase in money WIC participants receive to spend on fruits and vegetables, known as the Cash Value Benefit, was featured. Ritchie was quoted, “going up by just $15 a month per child may not sound like much, but for many families, it adds up, especially if there are multiple young children in the program.” The article also includes quotes from several WIC families in her study who benefited from the increase in money from WIC to spend on fruits and vegetables.