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.

1. Foods Sold In School, Outside Federal Programs, Are Largely Unregulated
2. Media Coverage of State of the States Report
3. Nutrition Education Well-Designed, But Implemented Poorly
4. Join The Summer Food Service Program
5. Food Pantries Serving Working Poor
6. Cutting Soda In Schools Lowers Obesity
7. Warning Labels On Unhealthy Foods Considered
8. Women Suffering Setbacks, Report Finds
9. Childhood Poverty May Affect Eating Habits
10. Cuts To Federal Housing Aid Due To Rule Change
11. One In 10 Is Food Insecure In Kansas
12. 5-Year Plan To End Hunger In Oregon Available
13. Direct Outreach Raising Texas Food Stamp Participation
14. New Jersey Children Encouraged to Join Summer Food Service Program

1. FOODS SOLD IN SCHOOL, OUTSIDE FEDERAL PROGRAMS, ARE LARGELY UNREGULATED

(General Accounting Office, April 2004)
Food sold in schools nationwide, except meals provided through the School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast program are unregulated by the federal government. Most schools across the country sell so-called "competitive foods," according to a study by the General Accounting Office (GAO). The GAO found that competitive foods are available in a number of locations on school campuses --- in a la carte cafeteria lines, vending machines, school stores, canteens, and snack bars. A number of states, school districts, and individual schools have implemented limitations on competitive foods that go beyond federal regulations.

Report (in PDF 1.4MB) at: http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-673

2. MEDIA COVERAGE OF STATE OF THE STATES REPORT

(Food Research & Action Center, April 21, 2004)

The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) published its State of the States report last week. The annual report gives a state-by-state snapshot of hunger and states' use of federal nutrition resources to address the problem. To view the media coverage, visit:

http://www.frac.org/html/news/Press_Release_04.21a.04.html
To download State of the States: http://www.frac.org/html/news/State of the States.2004.pdf

3. NUTRITION EDUCATION WELL-DESIGNED, BUT IMPLEMENTED POORLY

(General Accounting Office, April 2004)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's nutrition education programs (e.g., for Food Stamps, WIC, School Lunch, and CACFP) are generally well-designed, found the General Accounting Office. However, a number of problems prevent full implementation and coordination. Among the barriers are an administrative structure that hinders coordination among the agency's education efforts, limited resources, and competing program requirements. The agency also fails to fully monitor and evaluate the nutrition education programs. Therefore, information on what kind of nutrition education is provided and its effectiveness is unknown.

Full report (in PDF): http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-528
Highlights (in PDF): http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d04528high.pdf

4. JOIN THE SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM

(USDA Faith-Based Office, April 2004)

Low-income children who rely on federally-funded school meal programs during the academic year are at risk of going hungry in the summertime. Fortunately, the federal Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is designed to bridge the gap by providing meals to children during the summer months. Religious institutions, parochial schools, nonprofits, schools, and local public agencies can sponsor one or more SFSP sites. For summer 2004, the reimbursement can go up to $3.79 per child per day. To become a site or for more information, contact your state agency that handles SFSP by visiting the U.S. Department of Agriculture website at http://www.summerfood.usda.gov/contacts.html

For USDA's model newsletter article publicizing SFSP: http://www.frac.org/html/federal_food_programs/programs/SFSP Model Newsletter.doc

5. FOOD PANTRIES SERVING WORKING POOR

(Chicago Tribune, April 25, 2004)

Food pantries in rural, suburban, and urban areas nationwide are experiencing rising demand for their services, and the working poor comprise the fastest growing segment of their consumers. The working poor are Americans who have trouble paying monthly bills and buying groceries. Robert Forney, CEO of America's Second Harvest, says that for the 40 million Americans falling into this category, "The option of [earning] a living wage and benefits? Forget it." The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities recently reported that 43 million people are living in low-income working families with children.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0404250538apr25,1,6311881.story?coll=chi-news-hed

6. CUTTING SODA IN SCHOOLS LOWERS OBESITY

(Yahoo News, April 22, 2004)

In this study reported on the British Medical Journal website, schools with campaigns to discourage soda consumption experienced a reduction in childhood obesity rates. The study breaks new ground by being the first to show that such programs are effective at lowering obesity. The improvement in the school children's weight occurred with just a modest reduction in soda consumption --- less than a can a day. The study was unable to directly link weight loss with reduced soda consumption because the children may have made other improvements to their diet during the course of the study.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=534&e=2&u=/ap/20040423/ap_on_he_me/fit_soft_drinks_fat_kids

7. WARNING LABELS ON UNHEALTHY FOODS CONSIDERED

(The Boston Globe, April 23, 2004)

In response to national obesity trends, federal health officials are considering placing warning labels on unhealthy foods. The warning would be less severe than the one on cigarette packages. Acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Lester Crawford said the warning label for foods might say, "If you indulge in this, there may be health consequences." The proposal is an idea still in the discussion phase among top level officials.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/04/23/food_warning_labels_on_fdas_plate/

8. WOMEN SUFFERING SETBACKS, REPORT FINDS

(National Women's Law Center, April, 2004)

Women have experienced an erosion under the Bush administration of their economic well-being, opportunities to succeed in work and school, health, and reproductive rights, according to a report by the National Women's Law Center. The report cites the tax breaks as a "double whammy" for low- to moderate-income, and minority women. The tax breaks benefit mainly the top wealthiest Americans and are funded through cuts on areas important to low-income people, including nutrition programs.

For executive summary (in PDF): http://capwiz.com/nwlc/utr/1/MUQRDEICAA/EKAXDEITZN

9. CHILDHOOD POVERTY MAY AFFECT EATING HABITS

(The Atlanta Journal-Consitution, April 22, 2004)

A poor child may grow up with no emphasis placed on healthy foods, affecting his/her eating habits later in life, found a study in April's Journal of Cultural Diversity. Conducting focus groups with 21 blank women aged 25 to 65, researchers explored mother-daughter communication about food in low-income African-American families. The women's mothers stressed that they eat all they were served because food could be scarce at times. Clinicians therefore should in such circumstances approach problems of overeating from a cultural standpoint of food scarcity.

http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/food/518460.html

10. CUTS TO FEDERAL HOUSING AID DUE TO RULE CHANGE

(The Washington Post, April 21, 2004)

Federal rent vouchers that help low-income families, disabled persons, and the elderly pay for housing will no longer be fully reimbursed by the government. Without the Congressional approval it had sought, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has begun reimbursing local housing authorities that administer the program, known as Section 8 housing assistance, based on the housing authorities' costs in August plus an adjustment for inflation. The new formula will not cover the cost of the vouchers for at least 900 local housing authorities across the nation, according to an analysis by the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28730-2004Apr20.html

11. ONE IN 10 IS FOOD INSECURE IN KANSAS

(The Capital-Journal, April 26, 2004)

Kansas may be an American breadbasket, but it has trouble feeding itself, with one in ten households (about 105,000 households) experiencing food insecurity, based on the report "Hunger in the Heartland" by the Kansas Health Institute. One-third of those households had members who went hungry. The report also found that rural areas experience food insecurity at the same rate as Kansas' urban areas. Low-paying jobs and loss of jobs in Kansas have added to the problem, believes one advocate. The study found that 58 percent of the survey's respondents were employed full-time. Data from 1995 to 2000 of the U.S. Census Bureau's Food Security Supplement Survey were analyzed for the report.

http://www.cjonline.com/stories/042504/loc_hunger1.shtml

12. 5-YEAR PLAN TO END HUNGER IN OREGON AVAILABLE

(Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force, April 21, 2004)

The Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force released its 5-year plan to end hunger in that state. The report is entitled "Act to End Hunger: 40 Ways in 5 Years to Make a Difference." To fight hunger, the action plan proposes increasing safety net supports for working families, greater participation in federal food programs, community food security, and emergency food services. The report was unveiled at this month's Governor's Hunger Summit. The report is available for download at:

http://www.oregonhunger.org

13. DIRECT OUTREACH RAISING TEXAS FOOD STAMP PARTICIPATION

(The Brownsville Herald Online Edition, April 23, 04)

Door-to-door outreach has helped increase food stamp participation in Texas. By going directly to lower-income neighborhoods, organizations such as Avance are dispelling misconceptions about the program. They explain that working families are eligible, and participants no longer have to use paper coupons to buy food. Debit cards are now available. Even with such efforts, Texas' participation rate ranks in the bottom ten nationally. Celia Hagert of the Center for Public Policy Priorities said that low participation is, "definitely something we would encourage [the state] to keep looking at."

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/ts_comments.php?id=58945_0_10_0_C

14. NEW JERSEY CHILDREN ENCOURAGED TO JOIN SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM

(Daily Record News, April 25, 2004)

Sixty percent of Dover, New Jersey public school students, in theory, qualify for free or reduced cost meals in the summertime, but not one is enrolled. Morris County overall, where Dover is located, has just a 4 percent participation rate in the federally-sponsored Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). Local advocates held a presentation recently to increase awareness and participation in SFSP in a community where many parents cannot afford summer programs for their children. As one site director, David Walker of the Neighborhood House, says, "We enjoy the summer food program - it has been a blessing."

http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/articles/news5-lunchprogram.htm

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Helen Yuen
Food Research and Action Center
1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 540
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 986-2200 x3019 phone
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Email: hyuen@frac.org