To attend in Washington, D.C., go to
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1600147083.
(Registration required.)
To watch the video webcast or a recording, go to
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/urban-institute-events.
(No registration necessary.)
Panelists:
• Alexandra Ashbrook, director, D.C. Hunger Solutions
• Robin McKinnon, health policy specialist, Risk Factor Monitoring and Methods Branch, National Cancer Institute
• Gregory Mills, senior fellow, Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population, Urban Institute
• Michele Ver Ploeg, economist, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; lead author of a congressionally mandated study of food deserts
• Margery Austin Turner, vice president for research, Urban Institute (moderator)
Three challenging truths in one public policy pod: We are, therefore we must eat. We are what we eat. What we eat -- and how healthy we are -- is influenced by where we can afford to live.
Seven million people in low-income urban neighborhoods live more than a mile from the nearest supermarket, says the Department of Agriculture. Four of Washington, D.C.’s eight wards, for example, have so-called food deserts. In three, more than two-thirds of the residents are overweight or obese and rates of diabetes are in the double digits.
This forum will explore the extent of limited food access in the United States, the health implications of living far from affordable nutritious food, innovative ways to provide healthier food choices, the divide between nutrition education and dietary habits, and more.
Resources:
- Bios
- Mills: Food Access Terms
- Mills: Bringing the Oasis to the Desert: Mobile Farmers’ Markets
- McKinnon: How Do Typical American Diets Compare to Recommended Intake Levels or Limits?
- Ver Ploeg: Examples of Areas with Limited Access to Supermarkets: St. Louis, Missouri South Dakota
Useful links:
- "The Public Health Effect of Food Deserts: Workshop Summary”
- To learn about the implications of living in a food desert from District residents, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGY1lMOdnQo.
- When Healthy Food is Out of Reach (2010): an in-depth assessment of access – or lack of access – to full-service grocery stores in the District.
- Creating Healthy Corner Stores in the District of Columbia, a summary of the challenges involved in creating healthy corner stores in the District’s food deserts and recommended solutions to those challenges.
- Successfully Selling Fresh Produce in Washington, D.C. Corner Stores (2009), case studies of the Healthy Corner Store Program’s fresh produce distribution pilots.
- “Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food—Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences: Report to Congress” (2009).
- “Household Food Security in the United States, 2009”, by Mark Nord, Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Margaret Andrews, and Steven Carlson.
- Food Desert Locator
- Food Environment Atlas
At the Urban Institute
2100 M Street N.W., 5th Floor, Washington, D.C.
Lunch will be provided at 11:45 a.m. The forum begins promptly at noon.
A video recording will be archived after the event at
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/urban-institute-events.
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