Can food banks better promote nutrition and health?
"Food banks can have nutrition policies that outline where they source and what foods they prioritize," said Cassandra Nguyen, nutrition specialist at UC Cooperative Extension. Photo by Pam Kan-Rice
A new tool helps assess policies and practices
In 2021, an estimated 53 million people in the United States turned to food banks and community programs for help putting food on the table. Over the past few decades, food banks have adopted policies and practices to ensure that people not only have access to food, but also safe and nutritious food.
But until now, food banks have had little means to evaluate these initiatives.
University of California, Davis, Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension Cassandra Nguyen led a team of researchers to develop the Food Bank Health and Nutrition Assessment to address this concern. Their findings were published in the journal Public Health Nutrition.
"This tool will allow food banks to reflect on their current practices and determine if they can adopt additional strategies to promote nutrition and health. It also serves as a benchmark, which they can use to track their progress at over time,” said Nguyen, of the UC Davis Department of Nutrition.
Nutrition policy goes beyond what's on the shelf
Food banks face common challenges in promoting nutrition, health and equity. While food banks could assess the nutritional quality of their inventory, Nguyen said promoting nutrition requires more than knowing the types of foods on the shelves.
"Food banks may have nutrition policies that specify where they source...
"Food banks can have nutrition policies that outline where they source and what foods they prioritize," said Cassandra Nguyen, nutrition specialist at UC Cooperative Extension. Photo by Pam Kan-Rice
A new tool helps assess policies and practices
In 2021, an estimated 53 million people in the United States turned to food banks and community programs for help putting food on the table. Over the past few decades, food banks have adopted policies and practices to ensure that people not only have access to food, but also safe and nutritious food.
But until now, food banks have had little means to evaluate these initiatives.
University of California, Davis, Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension Cassandra Nguyen led a team of researchers to develop the Food Bank Health and Nutrition Assessment to address this concern. Their findings were published in the journal Public Health Nutrition.
"This tool will allow food banks to reflect on their current practices and determine if they can adopt additional strategies to promote nutrition and health. It also serves as a benchmark, which they can use to track their progress at over time,” said Nguyen, of the UC Davis Department of Nutrition.
Nutrition policy goes beyond what's on the shelf
Food banks face common challenges in promoting nutrition, health and equity. While food banks could assess the nutritional quality of their inventory, Nguyen said promoting nutrition requires more than knowing the types of foods on the shelves.
"Food banks may have nutrition policies that specify where they source...
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