FRAC News Digest - April 8, 2005

The weekly Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) News Digest highlights what's new on hunger, nutrition and poverty issues at FRAC, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, around the network of national, state and local anti-poverty and anti-hunger organizations, and in the media. The Digest will alert you to trends, reports, news items and resources and, when available, link you directly to them.

Issue 14, April 8, 2005

Food Stamp and Nutrition Programs Take Small Part of U.S. Spending
Congress Returns to Policy of Not Feeding Americans
Cuts to Benefit Rich, Hurt Poor
California: Food Program Cuts Would Hit Locally
Utah: State Could not Absorb Congress' Cuts
New Jersey: Cuts will Make Food Lines Grow
Pennsylvania: President's Budget Cuts to Hurt Monroe
Renewal for Approval to Collect Information on Food Security Sought
England: School Dinners Get £280 Million Boost
Education and Promo Keys to Eating More Fruits and Vegetables
Schools Buying Produce Locally
Food Stamp Participation Dips in January but 2 Million Above A Year Ago
Girls Copy Mothers' Fruit and Vegetable Intake
Child Well-Being Gains Slightly
Bankruptcy Bill Would Hit Women Harder
Accepting Grants for 3-A-Day of Dairy Nutrition Education Grants
Connecticut: Eligible Families Not Enrolled in Food Stamps
Georgia: School Breakfasts Give Healthy Start
California: No Free Lunch, District Proposes
Iowa: Salaries Not Enough for Food
California: No Free Lunch, District Proposes
New York: Local Farms Aid School Meals and Health
Colorado: Walk-Ins Turned Away for Services
Delaware: Community Leaders Trade Places with Poor

1. Food Stamp and Nutrition Programs Take Small Part of U.S. Spending

("Where do your tax dollars go?" National Priorities Project, April, 2005)

The 2005 "Where do your tax dollars go?" has been released by the National Priorities Project. The publication shows how the average household's tax dollars are spent for every state and 193 cities, towns and counties. The average U.S. household paid $6,296 in federal income taxes in 2004. Of every tax dollar, 30 cents was spent on military and defense. Three cents of every tax dollar went to food and nutrition assistance, including the Food Stamp program, all child nutrition programs (such as the National School Lunch Program) and others. The link includes interactive calculators.

http://www.nationalpriorities.org/taxday05

2. Congress Returns to Policy of Not Feeding Americans

("Congress back to its frenzy of not feeding," OregonLive.com, April 1, 2005)

After weeks of taking positions about "a single feeding tube," Congress "can now get back to...cutting back on feeding people." Both the U.S. House and Senate have passed budget outlines that will likely take billions of dollars out of food stamps. The program cut goes deeper than what the President had proposed. After debating whether a feeding tube is medical treatment, House leaders are prepared to settle the issue by cutting both nutrition programs and Medicaid. Cutting food stamps under a charge of "waste, fraud and abuse" is also wrong. The erroneous payment rate is the lowest in the program's 40-year history. The federal cuts will roll down to the states. For example, in Oregon, the proposed food stamps cuts are between $44 million and $89 million.

http://tinyurl.com/6axkb

3. Cuts to Benefit Rich, Hurt Poor

("Editorial: Out of balance/House asks the poor to pay," Star Tribune, March 29, 2005)

After passing four big tax cuts, the President and Congress are facing federal deficits "as far as the experts can project." Their solution is to "make poor people pay." The U.S. House has drafted a budget plan that would make deep cuts in food stamps, Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit and other anti-poverty programs. When the House and Senate sit down to negotiate a compromise budget plan, this editorial urges lawmakers to follow the Senate's more "balanced approach." The U.S. poverty rate has risen the last three years in a row and is likely to rise again this year. Furthermore, Congress is not "spreading the pain" of the cuts fairly. The budget resolution cuts tax relief for working poor adults but extends tax cuts like capital gains rate reductions that will mainly benefit the wealthiest Americans.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5329737.html

4. California: Food Program Cuts Would Hit Locally

("Willy Elliott-McCrea: Good news and bad news," Santa Cruz Sentinel, April 3, 2005)

Thousands of Americans will lose their food stamps under the President's budget proposal. Some in Congress are calling for even steeper cuts. The cuts will affect not just the poor but also the local economies and farmers, writes Willy Elliott-McCrea, executive director of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties. The irony is that the government has been working with agencies like the Food Bank to enroll more people in the food stamp program. The "whole fabric of our nation's safety net for the poor" is threatened with cuts to Food Stamps, WIC, child nutrition programs, senior brown bag programs, the Emergency Food Assistance Program (supplying food to food banks), Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and the earned income tax credit. If the government enacts cuts, all the food banks and charities in the nation "cannot hope to take up the slack."

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/archive/2005/April/03/edit/stories/03edit.htm

5. Utah: State Could not Absorb Congress' Cuts

("Budget cuts threaten the welfare of children and their families," The Salt Lake Tribune, April 2, 2005)

Utah stands to lose as much as $113 million over the next five years under the U.S. House budget plan, which could cause "significant fiscal pain" to Utah, including its children. The House budget includes cuts to food stamps. Meanwhile Congress is proposing tax cuts that would benefit the most affluent Americans. And the need remains great. Thirteen percent of the state's residents do not have health insurance. 54,000 of them are children, according to the state health department.

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2637798

6. New Jersey: Cuts will Make Food Lines Grow

("Charities say budget cuts will spell hunger," Newark Star Ledger, March 30, 2005)

New Jersey's food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries are having a hard time feeding the state's poor, but the strain will worsen if proposed federal cuts take effect. "The people we serve are out on a limb, and the limb is going to get cut off," said Adele LaTourette, director of the Statewide Emergency Food and Anti-Hunger Network and coordinator of the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition. Rep. Frank Pallone recently sponsored a discussion of the state's hunger challenges, held at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey in Hillside. Pallone urged the group's clients to contact their elected officials.

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1112165031230450.xml

7. Pennsylvania: President's Budget Cuts to Hurt Monroe

("Bush budget cuts to hurt Monroe, U.S. aides told," Eastern Poconos Community News, April 1, 2005)

Aides for U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum and U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski heard pleas at the Monroe County Commissioners' meeting room that they fight federal budget cuts. Directors of 16 agencies said the cuts could throw hundreds of local families into crisis. "We're seeing our families struggling more than I've ever seen them," said Johanna Weaver, director of Monroe's Head Start program. The cuts are to food stamps, affordable housing, and other programs. Adrienne Baker Green of Sen. Specter's staff said the Senator was "very supportive of these programs. He is working to restore funding." The aides of Sen. Santorum and Rep. Kanjorski offered similar encouragement.

http://www.epcommunitynews.com/archives/2005/bac97849.htm

8. Renewal for Approval to Collect Information on Food Security Sought

("Notice of Intent to Seek Approval To Collect Information," Federal Register, March 25, 2005)

This notice announces the Economic Research Service's (ERS) intention to request renewal of approval for annual information collection on food security questions in the Current Population Survey, commencing with the December 2005 survey. These data will be used: to monitor household level food security and food insecurity in the United States; to assess food security and changes in food security for population subgroups; to assess the need for, and performance of, domestic food assistance programs; to improve the measurement of food security; and to provide information to aid in public policy decision making.

http://tinyurl.com/537qm

9. England: School Dinners Get £280 Million Boost

("Oliver's campaign bears fruit," Telegraph.co.uk, March 31, 2005)

School dinners (British term for lunches) will improve thanks to a £280 million initiative announced recently by Prime Minister Tony Blair. The campaign to improve the poor quality of school dinners has been led by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. A School Fund Trust will be set up to dispense advice to schools and parents, while minimum nutrition standards will be introduced. Oliver welcomed the initiative, though he said it is "20 years too late" in addressing the "scandal" of English school dinners. "It's what I've spent the last year-and-half working towards," said Oliver, who used a variety of four-letter words to describe the poor quality of school dinners. He said the UK should be "bloody embarrassed that London has some of the most unhealthy children in Europe." He also said £280 million would not be enough to bring school kitchens up to an acceptable standard.

http://tinyurl.com/3ofhk

10. Education and Promo Keys to Eating More Fruits and Vegetables

("Understanding Economic and Behavioral Influences on Fruit and Vegetable Choices," Amber Waves, April 2005)

Conditions have made it easier than ever for Americans to eat fruits and vegetables. Bagged, pre-washed, pre-cut produce is available. International trade allows supermarkets to offer a range of produce year-round. And almost 70 percent of American shoppers believe their diets would be healthier if they ate more fruits and vegetables, according to a recent Food Marketing Institute survey. Despite these trends, Americans are eating far fewer servings than recommended. This article examines why that is the case. A household's education level, composition, and ethnic background all play a role in produce purchases. More educated households tend to spend more on fruits and vegetables and buy a greater variety of them. Ethnic background affects produce purchases. Also, Americans seldom order fruits and most vegetables when eating restaurant or takeout meals. The aging of the U.S. population, and rising incomes and education levels likely will favor consumption of fruit and most vegetables. Promotional advice that provides flexible strategies for accommodating a range of preferences and lifestyles may be more effective in increasing produce consumption than nutrition information alone.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/April05/Features/FruitAndVegChoices.htm

11. Schools Buying Produce Locally

("Local farmers and kids can help each other," Topeka Capital Journal, April 1, 2005)

This article by Sarah Borron and Mark Winne of the Community Food Security Coalition reports that fresh local produce is being served in over 400 school districts across the country as part of "Farm to School" programs. The initiatives link produce from local farmers with school food services. As a result, school children are getting more fresh fruits and vegetables served in their cafeterias. Last year, Congress included a provision in the Child Nutrition Reauthorization called "Access to Local Foods and School Gardens." It authorizes seed grants to schools that want to start these programs, but to date Congress has not provided funds needed to start the program.

http://cjonline.com/stories/040105/opi_farmers.shtml

12. Food Stamp Participation Dips in January but 2 Million Above A Year Ago

("Food Stamp Participation in January 2005 Nearly 2 Million Above January 2004 Level," Food Research and Action Center, April, 2005)

Food stamp participation dipped in January 2005 to 25,458,113 Americans, an over-the-month decline of 29,290, but an over-the-year increase of nearly two million people reflecting continuing joblessness, state actions to improve access, and the effects of the food stamp reauthorization implementation. Participation has risen in 44 of the last 49 months. Participation in January 2005 fell in the District of Columbia and rose in 48 of the 50 states compared to a year earlier. Nonetheless, research suggests that nearly half of all eligible people are not receiving food stamp benefits.

http://frac.org/html/news/fsp/01.05_FSP.html

13. Girls Copy Mothers' Fruit and Vegetable Intake

("Girls Follow Mom's Lead When Eating Fruits, Veggies," Reuters, April 1, 2005)

Mothers who eat more fruits and vegetables have daughters who do so too, according to a study appearing in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. The study involved 173 mothers and their white, non-Hispanic daughters at ages 7 and 9. Mothers with diets rich in fruits and vegetables were also less likely to pressure their daughters to eat more, and their daughters were less likely to become "picky eaters." The study found that all girls, whether picky eaters or not, lacked essential nutrients such as calcium and magnesium.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=8064882

14. Child Well-Being Gains Slightly

("The Foundation for Child Development Index of Child Well-Being, 1975-2003 with Projections for 2004," Duke University, March 30, 2005)

American children have experienced modest to slow progress in overall well-being, but more children live in poverty today than in 1975, according to the 2005 Index of Child Well-Being. Sharp declines in rates of violence and risky behaviors such as teen births, smoking, and alcohol and illegal drug use during the past 10 years have contributed substantially to the progress. The report also found that worsening trends in overall children's health continue, due solely to increasing obesity. The Index of Child Well-Being is updated annually and combines data from 28 indicators.

http://www.ffcd.org/

Download the report "The Foundation for Child Development Index of Child Well-Being, 1975-2003 with Projections for 2004":
http://www.fcd-us.org/PDFs/2005CWI-Report-Final.pdf

15. Bankruptcy Bill Would Hit Women Harder

("Bankruptcy Reform Hits Women Hard," ABC News, April 4, 2005)

A new bankruptcy reform bill would make it harder for individuals to file bankruptcy while empowering creditors. The bill would disproportionately affect women if it becomes law, experts say. This year, 1 million women will file for bankruptcy. That is 150,000 more women than men, if past trends hold, says Jill Miller, chief executive officer of Women Work! Among other ways the bill disproportionately affects women, it would put child support and alimony on equal footing with the claims of credit card companies. Consequently, mothers may be "coming in after other creditors have received their payment. It's absolutely terrible," says Miller. The proposed reform is "just one more signal that women need to take care of themselves first. The safety net is shrinking, and women can't count on anyone other than themselves," says Elizabeth Warren, a professor at Harvard Law School.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/CSM/story?id=638195&page=1

16. Accepting Grants for 3-A-Day of Dairy Nutrition Education Grants

("National Dairy Council 3-A-Day of Dairy Nutrition Education Grants," National Dairy Council, 2005)

The National Dairy Council is accepting applications for its "3-A-Day of Dairy Nutrition Education Grants." The grants support programs that help children improve their overall diet by including three servings a day of milk, cheese or yogurt and by adopting a healthy, active lifestyle. Grants in the amount of $5,000 each will be awarded on a state/regional basis. The deadline to apply is May 13, 2005.

http://tinyurl.com/4p9oh

17. Connecticut: Eligible Families Not Enrolled in Food Stamps

("Eligible Residents Often Do Not Apply for Food Stamps and Other Benefits," The Newtown Bee, March 31,2005)

Individuals, families, and children are going hungry right now in Newtown. They may qualify for food stamps and other temporary social service benefits, but haven't applied. More families in Connecticut than ever are participating in the Food Stamp Program. Yet, about a third of those who qualify still are not participating. It results in a "direct loss of $100 million per year to the individuals themselves" and to the state, says James P. Horan, executive director of the Connecticut Association for Human Services. The loss impacts "everyone in Connecticut because of the multiplier effect that this money could have if it were spent in communities across the state." Another concern is that the state ranks seventh from the bottom nationally in delivering school breakfast to eligible students, according to a Food Research and Action Center study. Various organizations are stepping up outreach campaigns. Newtown Social Services Director Ann Piccinni said that her office works especially hard to support the dignity of individuals who may be seeking information on available services for the first time.

http://tinyurl.com/3hpao

18. Georgia: School Breakfasts Give Healthy Start

("George overhauls obesity," GSU Signal, April 5, 2005)

Schools are helping in the fight against childhood obesity. According to the state's Department of Education, 94 percent of schools offer breakfast. Every day, 1.2 million fruits and vegetables are served. Georgia's schools also have Web sites that provide nutrition information. Atlanta Public Schools runs "School Stars," which teaches children in fun and innovative ways about eating right. However, the writer argues that schools' efforts must be joined by parents, lawmakers, and businesses. Parents need to ask lawmakers for qualified physical education teachers to work with students and require longer physical education classes. If parents do not change their children's path, too many children and teenagers will continue suffering from diabetes, heart disease, low self-esteem and early death.

http://tinyurl.com/6y2h5

19. California: Students Enjoy School Breakfast Delivery

("In Berkeley, fine dining starts early," San Francisco Chronicle, April 7, 2005)

Jovanni Cardenas, a fourth-grade student at LeConte Elementary in Berkeley is the "snack passer." He delivers healthy, free school breakfasts around the school. LeConte is the first in the district to offer universal breakfast delivery. If successful, breakfast delivery will be adopted in all schools except Berkeley High by 2007. Sarah Abiharb, a LeConte student says that because of the program, she doesn't have to "skip breakfast anymore. Now, I eat with my class together like a nice little feast." All Berkeley school cafeterias provide breakfast, but many students are too rushed to arrive early enough to eat there, buses are held up, or kids "sleep in." Brandon Small, another LeConte student, says that he used to "skip breakfast because I would wake up late. Now, I learn better because when I'm hungry all I think about is food." Karen Candito, director of nutrition at Berkeley Unified School District, explains the district has an "integrated focus on physical education, school gardens, nutrition education and a commitment to healthy food in the cafeteria."

http://tinyurl.com/44vl3

20. Iowa: Salaries Not Enough for Food

("Growing number of Iowans work hard and stay poor," Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, April 3, 2005)

Cooks, substitute teachers, secretaries, and nurse's aides are not highly visible, but they are the type of workers who hold our society together. On a personal level, they struggle to make ends meet. Kathy Schunk, a nurse's aide, has to say to herself, "'OK, I can take this much out of groceries and we can not go here or there and that'll save $5 in gas.'" In Black Hawk County, 31 percent of people are working, but poor. Susan Vallem, a social worker and college professor said the working poor are "very smart, very good at handling money. They can stretch a budget more than most people even try." Wages of low-income workers have remained stagnant or declined, translating to less purchasing power. Meanwhile, the cost of groceries, consumer goods, gasoline, housing, and health care have increased significantly.

http://tinyurl.com/6b5oy

21. California: No Free Lunch, District Proposes

("District proposes no free lunch," Whittier Daily News, April 5, 2005)

Thousands of schoolchildren in the East Whittier City School District may be facing an end to free lunches in summer school. The district has applied for a state waiver to cut the program, citing increased operating costs. The district says its food service budget has been hurt by the ban on soda and junk food at elementary and middle schools. The sales had helped the department stay "above the water (financially)," said Long Chen, the district's food services director.

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,207~12026~2800603,00.html

22. New York: Local Farms Aid School Meals and Health

("SchoolFood Plus," FoodChange)

The SchoolFood Plus Initiative is a collaborative, multi-agency effort to improve the eating habits, health and academic performance of New York City public schoolchildren while strengthening state agriculture through the procurement of local and regional produce. The program is based on the principle that school meals programs can enhance student health and academic achievement, and that a multi-tiered effort of government, school, and community involvement is the most effective way to enhance the school food and physical activity environment.

http://www.foodchange.org/nutrition/schoolfood.html

23. Colorado: Walk-Ins Turned Away for Services

("Laboring behind benefits," Denver Post, April 4, 2005)

A backlog in processing applications for food stamps and other public benefits has forced some counties to turn away walk-in visitors. The backlog began because of glitches in the state's computerized application system. People who visit the human services offices in Arapahoe and Jefferson counties are asked to fill out a questionnaire and wait up to 48 hours for a phone call. Officials say it's the only way caseworkers can enter the backlog of applications into the system while trying to manage new cases and complaints.

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2797222,00.html

24. Delaware: Community Leaders Trade Places with Poor

("Poverty simulation shows growing need," Muncie Star Press, April 7, 2005)

No matter how hard she tried, Pat Mitchell Fields could not pay for all her bills or food. Fields is the president of the Muncie Chapter of the NAACP, and she was playing a grandmother at a poverty simulation exercise. Thirty community leaders participating in simulation were assigned the role of a low-income person. The event aimed to raise awareness about poverty and the need for programs and services.

http://www.thestarpress.com/articles/6/037557-3466-004.html