Nutrition Policy Institute director and Cooperative Extension specialist, Lorrene Ritchie, was invited to give a talk on "Methodological challenges - self-report from key informants in diverse settings" as part of a national meeting hosted by the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR). The meeting took place in Atlanta, Ga. with Ritchie presenting on Thursday, February 27, 2020. Launched in 2009, NCCOR brings together four of the nation's leading research funders—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)—to accelerate progress in reducing childhood obesity in America. NCCOR focuses on efforts that have the potential to benefit children, teens, and their families, and the communities in which they live.
Please join the Berkeley Food Institute and the Nutrition Policy Institute in welcoming Bettina Elias Siegel to discuss her new book Kid Food: The Challenge of Feeding Children in a Highly Processed World. What are the roles of parents and non-parents in ensuring that all of our community's children have access to safe, affordable, and nourishing food? How have some junk food companies sought to leverage every possible opportunity to sell their products to impressionable young future customers— and what can we do to push back? How can research and practice inform public policy on children's food issues? We will explore these and other questions in a lively interactive forum where your questions and ideas are welcome. This event is a fundraiser for the Berkeley Food Institute, with no one turned away for lack of funds. It will take place on Monday, March 2, 2020, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the David Brower Center, Tamalpais Room, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704. Please register online.
Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI) researchers will attend and present at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Healthy Eating Research (HER) program's 14th annual grantee meeting in Denver, Colorado on March 3-4, 2020. Marisa Tsai, NPI data analyst, will present on "Dimensions of school food environments and anthropometric and dietary outcomes in children: The Healthy Communities Study. Gail Woodward-Lopez, NPI's associate director of research, will present on "Healthy Default Beverages in Children's Meals: Evaluating Policy Compliance and Impact Comparing Delaware and California". Tsai, along with Lauren Au, NPI associate researcher, Lorrene Ritchie, NPI director and Cooperative Extension specialist, and colleagues will also present a poster on their newly funded HER project, "Implementing and Evaluating the Impact for Children Ages 1 to 5 of Expanding the WIC Cash-Value Benefit for the Purchase of Fruits and Vegetables", which began in February 2020.
Californians are struggling to afford adequate housing and food, yet little is known about the intersection of individuals and families experiencing both housing and food insecurity. The Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI)'s 2018/2019 University of California (UC) Global Food Initiative fellow, Melanie Colvin, MPH, identified efforts to address both housing and food insecurity in California. Her findings are detailed in this report, titled "Addressing Food Insecurity for Families and Individuals in California Experiencing Housing Insecurity". The report provides definitions and prevalence rates for food insecurity and housing insecurity and summarizes assessment tools available for researches to measure food insecurity and housing insecurity. The report profiles eight California organizations working to improve access to basic needs services for adults and families who struggle to afford the high cost of living in California. The report also shares policy, programs, and research recommendations to support improved food security for those experiencing housing insecurity, as well as recommendations for how the University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources can engage with communities and organizations to improve the delivery of basic needs services for Californians. Read the full report online.
The National Drinking Water Alliance, coordinated by the Nutrition Policy Institute, created a new fact sheet which aims to demystify tap water contamination and provide clear information on tap water safety for childcare providers and for parents of young children. There are over 20 million children aged 5 and under in the United States and over half of them attend center-based childcare (as opposed to care by friends and family). Facilities participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) are required to make potable (safe) water available and offered throughout the day. States may have their own more stringent licensing requirements for drinking water provision in childcare and other states may require all licensed childcare facilities to comply with CACFP standards. But all families with young children should have safe drinking water. Lead is a particular concern in the early years because young children are most vulnerable to its toxic effects. Infants fed formula that is reconstituted with tap water are at highest risk, if the tap water has unsafe levels of lead. Daily safe water practices are also outlined in the fact sheet.
