Nutrition Policy Institute

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Lorrene Ritchie, director of the Nutrition Policy Institute, retires in July - honor her legacy by donating to the NPI Student Internship

May 15th, 2025
By Danielle Lee
Lorrene Ritchie, founding director of the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources, will be retiring from her role as director on July 1, 2025. Ritchie, a first-generation college student, has made a lasting impact on the field of public health nutrition…
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NPI welcomes Molly Shea as new project policy analyst

May 12th, 2025
By Danielle Lee
Molly Shea joined the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources on May 8, 2025 as a project policy analyst. She began her work at NPI in October 2024 as a survey worker supporting various projects. Prior to her work with NPI, Molly worked in program…
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Article

NPI partners with National WIC Association and Pepperdine University to conduct 2025 WIC Multi-State Participant Satisfaction Survey

May 9th, 2025
By Danielle Lee, Lorrene D Ritchie
Nutrition Policy Institute researchers will work with the National WIC Association and Pepperdine University to conduct a 2025 Multi-State Satisfaction Survey of participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC. Survey results will build upon prior surveys…
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Article

NPI research brief examines state of School Meals for All

April 16th, 2025
By Brianna Aguayo Villalon, Christina E Hecht, Danielle Lee, Lorrene D Ritchie
A recent Nutrition Policy Institute research brief examines key findings from the implementation and impact of California’s School Meals for All program, which provides free meals to all public school students regardless of family income. The program has increased meal participation, reduced…
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Article

Current state of processed and freshly prepared foods in school meals examined in new research brief

April 9th, 2025
By Brianna Aguayo Villalon, Danielle Lee, Lorrene D Ritchie, Wendi Gosliner
School meals are an essential source of nutrition for many children in the U.S. Given the widespread use of processed foods in the American diet, the role of these foods in school meals has raised concerns. Although studies consistently find that school meals are a healthier source of nutrition for U.S…
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Nutrition Policy Institute joins Bluesky

April 3rd, 2025
By Jean Aquino, Brianna Aguayo Villalon, Danielle Lee
Nutrition Policy Institute joined the Bluesky social media platform in March 2025. We look forward to expanding our reach, and will continue sharing our research and policy briefs, upcoming events, and news on nutrition and public health on both Bluesky and our LinkedIn accounts. Follow us on…
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Article

New study reveals that California middle and high school students desire healthy and fresh school meals

March 31st, 2025
By Brianna Aguayo Villalon, Danielle Lee, Wendi Gosliner, Kassandra A Bacon
 A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior revealed that students desire healthy and fresh school meals. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government provided waivers to schools to serve meals free of charge to all students (known as universal school meals or…
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Article

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

March 27th, 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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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, Gail M Woodward-Lopez
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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Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources logo

Research for healthy food, people and places

The Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI) envisions a world in which healthy food, beverages and opportunities for physical activity are accessible, affordable, equitable and sustainable for everyone.

Nutrition Policy Institute video image

NPI's mission is to conduct and translate policy-relevant research to transform environments for healthy children, families and communities.

Read more about our vision and mission, and learn about our impact.

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Office Locations

Nutrition Policy Institute

University of California Office of the President
1111 Franklin St.
Oakland, CA 94607
United States

Personnel

Brianna Aguayo Villalon

Student Communications Fellow
Affiliated Organization

Jean Aquino

SURVEY WORKER

Kassandra A Bacon

Kassandra A. Bacon
Project Policy Analyst III
PROJECT POLICY ANL 3

Ramsha Baig

Ramsha Baig
Research Data Analyst 3
RSCH DATA ANL 3

Sibani Michael Bose

Sibani Michael Bose
Chief Business Officer
ADMIN OFCR 4

Miranda W Brown

Miranda Westfall Brown
Academic Coordinator
ACADEMIC COORD III-FY

Summer J Cortez

Summer J. Cortez
CalFresh Healthy Living Evaluation Unit Manager, NPI
PROJECT POLICY ANL 4

Patricia A Crawford

Patricia A. Crawford
Cooperative Extension Nutrition Specialist - Emeritus
NON-SENATE ACAD EMERITUS(WOS)

Celeste Felix

RSCH DATA ANL 3

KC Fiedler

KC Fiedler
Project Policy Analyst III
PROJECT POLICY ANL 3

Caitlin D French

Assistant Project Scientist
ASST PROJ SCIENTIST-FY

Amy Garfinkel

STDT 4 ANR

Wendi Gosliner

Project scientist
PROJ SCIENTIST-FY NON REP

Christina E Hecht

Christina E. Hecht
UC ANR Nutrition Policy Institute Academic Coordinator
ACADEMIC COORD III-FY NEX

Kenneth Hecht

UC ANR Nutrition Policy Institute Coordinator
PROJECT POLICY ANL 4

Sridharshi C Hewawitharana

Research Data Analyst
RSCH DATA ANL 3

Janice Kao

Academic Coordinator II
PROJECT POLICY ANL 4

Danielle Lee

Danielle Lee
Director of Communications & Research Engagement
PROJECT POLICY ANL 4

Meirong M Liao

Procurement Officer
ADMIN OFCR 2 CX

Amanda M Linares

Amanda M. Linares
Senior Program Evaluator
ACADEMIC COORD II-FY

John E Miller

SURVEY WORKER

Alan Nguyen

SURVEY WORKER

Julia Nguyen

ADMIN OFCR 2 CX

Dania Orta-Aleman

Assistant Project Scientist
ASST PROJ SCIENTIST-FY

Ana Ortiz Ramos

SURVEY WORKER

Hailey Powell

STDT 4 ANR

Richard Pulvera

Richard Pulvera
Research Data Analyst
RSCH DATA ANL 3

Suzanne M Rauzon

Suzanne M. Rauzon
Director of Community Health, Emeritus
NON-SENATE ACAD EMERITUS(WOS)

Carolyn D Rider

Carolyn Dawn Rider
Senior Program Evaluator
ACADEMIC COORD II-FY

Lorrene D Ritchie

Lorrene D. Ritchie
Director of the Nutrition Policy Institute and Cooperative Extension Nutrition Specialist
SPECIALIST COOP EXT

Samantha Sam-Chen

Samantha Sam-Chen
Project Policy Analyst
PROJECT POLICY ANL 3

Molly Shea

PROJECT POLICY ANL 3

Michael Sheng

Survey Worker
SURVEY WORKER

Ron Strochlic

Academic Coordinator
ACADEMIC COORD II-FY NEX

Evan Talmage

PROJECT POLICY ANL 3

Hannah R Thompson

Hannah R. Thompson
Asst Research Professor
PROJ SCIENTIST-FY

Reka Vasicsek

Project Policy Analyst
PROJECT POLICY ANL 3

Nicole Vital

Nicole Vital
SRA 2 NEX
SRA 3

Karen L Webb

NON-SENATE ACAD EMERITUS(WOS)

Ryan Williams

PROJECT POLICY ANL 3

Gail M Woodward-Lopez

RECALL NON-FACULTY ACAD NEX

Monica D Zuercher

Monica Daniela Zuercher
Assistant Project Scientist
ASST PROJ SCIENTIST-FY

Mission Statement

The Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI) conducts research for healthy food, people and places. NPI envisions a world in which healthy food, beverages and opportunities for physical activity are accessible, affordable, equitable and sustainable for everyone. NPI's mission is to conduct and translate policy-relevant research to transform environments for healthy children, families and communities.