Food Access & Food Insecurity

Research Brief • January 2026 • Download PDF (665 KB)TABLE OF CONTENTSFFY 2025 CalFresh Healthy Living At a GlancePolicy, Systems, & Environmental Change EffortsEducational ActivitiesPartnerships & Multi-Sector CoalitionsAssessment of Policies, Practices, & OutcomesFFY 2025 CalFresh…

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that toddlers transition from whole milk to fat-free or low-fat milk by the time they reach two years of age to reduce saturated fat intake and obesity risk. However the science is mixed as to whether consuming lower-fat milk truly supports improved…

A new review published in the Journal of Nutrition highlights how children’s and adolescents’ nutrition—and its impact on health, learning, and development—is shaped by a complex nutrition ecology that extends beyond individual dietary intake. The paper is part of the Biomarkers of Nutrition for…

A new policy brief highlights a study showing how longer participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, is associated with higher diet quality among children ages 2 to 5. Using a national sample, the study showed that children who stayed enrolled in…

The California Nutrition Incentive Program, or CNIP, matches Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—or SNAP and also known as CalFresh in California—dollars spent on fruits and vegetables at certified farmers’ markets and other retail locations. This program is known in many places as Market Match…

The National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program provide essential nutritional and academic benefits to millions of children. High participation in these programs will help universal free school meals in several states to be successful. A recent study published in the Journal of the…