Increasing access to healthy food: The Baltimore food policy case study Anne Palmer Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future Grantmakers in Health November.

Increasing access to healthy food: The Baltimore food

policy case study

Anne Palmer

Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future

Grantmakers in Health

November 18, 2008

Overview

• CLF’s involvement

• Overview of the food environment in Baltimore City

• Chain of events that lead to the food policy task force being developed

• Next steps

The Center for a Livable Future

Mission: to promote research and to develop and communicate information about the complex interrelationships among diet, food production, environment and public health

• Fund research, education, and program activities• 3 program areas – Farming, Eating and Living for the Future

EFF program goal: Promote changes in food access, purchasing and consumption to ensure a safe, healthy and equitable food supply.

What is the food situation in Baltimore?

• Poor access to healthy and affordable food, especially in lower income communities

• 9.4 % of households in Maryland reported low food security and 3.6% reported very low food security (hunger)

• Until recently, supermarkets were closing and moving out of the city

Corner Stores

Corner Stores

CLF funded relevant research

Dr. Manuel Franco’s PhD research on Availability of

Healthy Foods, Neighborhood Characteristics

Dr. Joel Gittelsohn’s Baltimore Healthy Stores

project – to work with local corner store owners to promote purchase of healthy food options.

Community Food Assessment in SW Baltimore

Goal: - Store survey - measure the availability of healthy food in

their neighborhood.- Residents’ survey - identify key food and nutrition issues

that community members are facing.

Objectives:- Identify institutional barriers and strengths to accessing

fresh, healthy foods

– Identify individual barriers and strengths to consuming a healthy diet

– Identify educational and communication opportunities to increase awareness of the benefits of healthy eating

Availability of fruits

Availability of vegetables

Residents’ Survey: Food Shopping

Most of their visits (46%) – at corner stores

Figure 6. Average Monthly Food Shopping Frequency by Store

Corner Store, 46%

Covered Market, 7%

Arraber, 2%

Carryout, 17%

Fast Food, 9%

Sit-down Restaurant, 5%

Warehouse Store, 1%

Farmer's Market, 1%Supermarket, 12%

Corner Store

Supermarket

Warehouse Store

Farmer's Market

Covered Market

Arraber

Carryout

Fast Food

Sit-down Restaurant

Residents Survey: Food Shopping

Most money spent – at supermarkets

Average monthly expenditures• $140 corner stores $274 supermarkets • $153 carry out $44 fast food• $43 at covered market $48 sit down restaurant

Residents’ Survey:Access &Availability

• 35% - “sometimes” were unable to buy healthy food due to lack of resources

• 17% - “often” were unable to buy healthy food due to lack of resources

• 40% - stated certain foods were desired but not available (e.g.

fresh fruits, vegetables, quality meat)

Chance opportunities (vs well-plotted strategies)

• Dr. Franco’s doctoral presentation of the research to health department - Healthy Foods, Neighborhood Characteristics, Dietary Patterns and Body Mass Index

• Health Commissioner becomes intrigued by issue and asks CLF to call a meeting

Getting to know you

• Joint meeting conducted in Dec. 2007 with

planning, health, university and

community representation

Goals of meeting• Achieve a better understanding of

each organization’s current & planned

activities re food security and

food environments

• Discuss possible areas of

collaboration

Shall we dance?

• January meeting

• Identifying potential collaboration &

mutual support

• Decide to seek funding for joint

project: planning dept leads RWJ bid

• CLF offers to hold workshop to

learn about food policy councils

Should we do this here?

Mark Winne – Community Food Security Coalition’s

Food Policy Council coordinator

Invited large group of stakeholders – MD Hunger Solutions, MD Hospitals for Healthy Environment, MD Cooperative Extension, Slow Food, Associated Black Charities, Community Development Corps,etc..

What are Food Policy Councils and How Can They

Improve a Community’s Food System

What we learned from Mark: Local Food Organizations (LFOs) and Businesses Begin to Fill the Gap

with Projects

• Non-profit organizations (farmers markets, CSAs, community gardens)• Community Development Corporations (supermarket

development, new farm enterprises)• Faith-based institutions (food pantries, food banks)• Government Services and Programs (food stamps, WIC,

farmland preservation)• Schools (child nutrition programs, farm-to-school)• Cooperative Extension (farmer assistance, nutrition

education)• Private entrepreneurs (market-based enterprises, coops)

From Mark Winne, Closing the Food Gap: Food Policy Councils and Coalitions: Making the Right Prevalent, Baltimore, MD Feb. 12, 2008

What we learned from Mark: But the LFOs are never enough…

• Never enough money• Don’t become large enough to make a major

impact• Replication and expansion are stymied• Many food and agriculture problems too

entrenched and complex• LFO efforts are often fragmented and

uncoordinated

From Mark Winne, Closing the Food Gap: Food Policy Councils and Coalitions: Making the Right Prevalent, Baltimore, MD Feb. 12, 2008

FPCs Can Complement and Extend the Work of LFOs

Since state and local governments don’t have “Departments of Food”, FPCs can:

1. Represent a variety of private and public food system interest groups and agencies

2. Cut across government department lines and focus on food, nutrition, and agriculture issues

3. Serve as a food system planning venue and promote coordination between food system stakeholders

4. Accept responsibility for ensuring that major food and farming goals are met

From Mark Winne, Closing the Food Gap: Food Policy Councils and Coalitions: Making the Right Prevalent, Baltimore, MD Feb. 12, 2008

Workshop results – participants ideas

• Establish a mission statement• Develop white paper to justify need and provide

direction• Obtain city council resolution

• Working group meetings

• City Health Commissioner decides to co-chair task force with Director of Planning to look into FPC model (April ‘08)

What happened next…

Lessons Learned (being learned)

• Seek out a variety of partners (universities, planners)

• Where are the opportunities? (obesity work, Baltimore City Sustainability Commission)

• Expect delays (resignation of planning director)

Challenges

• Need economic advice (income generating body)• Time line • Lack of continuity• Need to build capacity of all stakeholders• Need to involve the agricultural/farming

community (city vs county)