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. Study: Cheaper foods have more calories, may cause health problems
(Journal of the American Dietetic Association Vol. 107, No. 7, July 2007 — subscription required)
A new study by the American Dietetic Association examined the dietary intake of 1,400 participants ages 15 to 92. Researchers found that participants who consumed more calories ate foods that had a lower nutritional value and a lower cost. Consumption of vitamin C and folate, which are often key components in fruits and vegetables, was substantially higher in participants who consumed between 300 and 400 less calories per day than other participants.
2. School Nutrition Association examines price increases in school lunch, breakfast
(School Nutrition Association, June 14, 2007)
One-third of school districts raised the price of school lunches for the 2006-07 school year, according to the School Nutrition Association. The cost of school breakfast increased about 15 percent on average while school lunch prices went up an average of 9 percent in districts that raised meal prices. The SNA says that increases in the price of school lunches could affect 12.4 million students who pay full price for school lunches. The price of gas, higher labor costs and increasing prices of milk contribute to the rising price of school meals. As of early June, milk prices had increased 3 percent or about a dime per gallon since last year, according to the SNA. The national average for a school lunch last year was $1.80, which breaks down to $1.66 for elementary schools, $1.85 for middle schools, and $1.90 in high schools.
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3. USDA report looks at time families take for food preparation
(USDA, May 2007)
A recent USDA report examined households that participated in the Food Stamp Program and found that these households were increasingly headed by a single parent or two working parents. If this trend continues more low-income households may find it difficult to allocate time needed to prepare meals for their families, according to USDA. Allocation of time is especially noteworthy for women who work full-time and single parents because these circumstances have a greater effect on household food preparation than household income.
4. Hunger creates difficult choices for many Americans, says editorial
(Houston Chronicle, July 15, 2007)
Many Americans who battle hunger are forced to make difficult, heartbreaking choices each day, said Brian Greene, president and CEO of the Houston Food Bank. Greene, who recently participated in the Food Stamp Challenge by following an average daily food stamp budget of $3, urges Congress to approve recommendations made by the "Feeding America's Families Act." This legislation calls for an improvement in food stamp benefit levels and access, an increase in The Emergency Food Assistance Program, and reauthorization of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which provides food boxes for low-income seniors, mothers and children each month.
5. Opinion: U.S. should do more to combat wage inequity, hunger
(The Louisiana Weekly, July 16, 2007)
According to USDA, 35.1 million people, including 12.4 million children, live in households that frequently experience or risk hunger. George E. Curry, author of this editorial, said that hunger can be traced to wage inequity, which prevents people from properly providing food for their families. Curry believes that the United States should do more to help provide well-paying jobs to its citizens and offer greater opportunities for low-income Americans.
6. Food prices up 6.2 percent in first five months of 2007
(Arkansas Democrat Gazette, July 13, 2007)
The price of food rose 6.2 percent in the first five months of 2007, according to the Consumer Price Index. The cost of milk, eggs, poultry and bread have increased substantially over the past year, according to the index. Ephraim Leibtag, a USDA economist, expects price increases to continue to the middle of 2008. Analysts say that higher energy costs are contributing to the price increases. Wages have also not kept up with the rising prices, according to Bureau of Labor data. "When money is tight, food is usually the first expense to be cut," said Deb Alich, executive director of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance.
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7. Senator seeks support for farmers' markets in Farm Bill
(The Dunn County News, July 16, 2007)
The Farm Bill should place an increased emphasis on the growth and promotion of local farmers' markets, writes Sen. Russ Feingold, (D-Wis.). Feingold believes that farmers’ markets provide nutritious and affordable food options to local communities. Feingold hopes the Farm Bill will provide more support for farmers' markets to allow them to accept Electronic Benefts Transfer cards. This would enable food stamp participants to use their cards at the market.
8. New York City offers free summer meals
(Albany Times Union, July 18, 2007)
New York received a $10 million award from USDA for improving its food stamp accuracy rate in 2006. The state, whose accuracy rate improved to 95.4 percent from 92.7 percent in 2005, will provide its counties with $7 million, said Michael Hayes, spokesman for the state’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. "The same as parents need health insurance to provide medical care for their children, many parents need food stamps to help feed their families," said David Hansell, commissioner for OTDA.
9. Ohio program provides free breakfast to children
(WTVM 9, July 9, 2007)
Ohio children can eat free breakfast at a dozen Muscogee County elementary schools starting in the fall with hopes that all area elementary schools will be participating by December 2007. "We understand that when children are hungry their academic performance will suffer," said Jimmie Barnett, director of food services. The district plans to gradually expand the "Breakfast For All" to include area middle and high schools.
10. Nebraska school district offers free summer lunches
(The Grand Island Independent, July 17, 2007)
Schools in Grand Island, Neb. are providing free lunches to children ages 1 to 18 at local elementary schools. The program, which operates week days and runs until July 27, has about 1,000 participants, said Merilee Callahan, secretary for the district's nutrition department. Adults may purchase lunch for $2.75. "In the summertime, the need for food is just as great, if not greater," said Project Hunger President Doug Winder, president of Project Hunger.
11. Indiana WIC participants can receive farmers' market checks
(Martinsville Reporter-Times, July 15, 2007)
Qualifying Indiana residents who participate in the Women, Infants and Children program wilil receive a total of six checks with a value of $3 each to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers' markets. To be eligible, WIC participants must live in a county where a local farmers' market has been approved to accept the checks. This initiative is part of a joint effort between WIC and the Farmers' Market Nutrition Program in the state.
12. Illinois museum offering free admission through WIC
(The Oak Lawn Star, July 15, 2007)
The Women, Infants and Children program and The Children's Museum in Oak Lawn, Ill., a Chicago suburb, have teamed up to provide free admission to the museum for any mother and child enrolled in WIC. The partnership, which began in June, was an idea proposed to Adam Woodworth, the museum's executive director, at a recent conference. "I would love for this program to become a staple of the museum," he said. "I really think this is something that will be around for the next 10 years benefiting our community."
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