Contact:
Cari Beth Head
Wallace Center at Winrock International
703.525.9430
cbhead@winrock.org

In the wake of the recent USDA study Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food – Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences, the Wallace Center at Winrock International issued the following statement and expert contact list on improving the equity of food access for underserved communities and populations:

“We thank the USDA for undertaking this thorough study.  Much of it verifies what we knew already – that for millions of people in low income communities, access to fresh and healthy food is limited,” says Alan Hunt, senior policy associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International. “Now it’s time for action.  What is needed is a set of coordinated, community based activities across the country, including outreach to existing corner stores, incentives for locating new retail stores, public transportation improvements, farmers markets development, nutrition education, and other activities to improve food access.”

The Wallace Center at Winrock International, a national nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs and communities in building a food system that is healthier for people, the environment, and the economy, provides leadership through its National Good Food Network. The Network works to “scale up” supply, by facilitating aggregation and distribution of healthy, green, fair, affordable food – a market-based approach to issues of healthy food access.

“The link between inequitable access to healthy, affordable food and chronic diseases is evident in every region of the country. Low income and being African-American, Latino, or American Indian increases the likelihood of poor access to good food and the prevalence of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes. From deep in the heart of Texas to the center of Midwest farm country, to President Obama’s hometown of Chicago, healthy food is not easily accessible to millions of Americans and people are sicker as a result,” notes Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, vice President and chief medical officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas.  “Access to healthy, affordable food is a major public health problem and should be considered as important as affordable healthcare.”  As the former Texas commissioner of health and a national leader on childhood obesity, Dr Sanchez has been a champion for policies to address food access issues.

“We look forward to continuing to work with Congress, federal agencies, and other partners to develop and support regionally-based and appropriate solutions to inequitable healthy food access across the country,” says Hunt.   “Supporting successful programs that address inequitable food access – from the development of a network of farmers markets that serves the nearly 80,000 mostly low income residents of Camden, New Jersey, to the remarkable work going on in Black Hawk County, Iowa where local producers work together to make fresh, healthy and local food available to restaurants, retirement homes and universities while generating millions of dollars of sales – is the beginning. Continuing efforts like these requires national support and leadership to ensure healthy food choices are accessible in all communities.”

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EXPERTS AVAILABLE TO COMMENT ON INEQUITABLE FOOD ACCESS

(in alphabetical order)

Judith Bell, President, PolicyLink
www.policylink.org

PolicyLink is developing policy solutions  – such as the National Fresh Food Financing Initiative – to attract more retailers dedicated to healthy foods into communities challenged by inequitable healthy food access.

Contact: 510.390.8179,  jbell@policylink.org (location: Oakland, CA)

Andy Fisher, Executive Director, Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC)
www.foodsecurity.org

CFSC has developed community-based strategies to address inequitable healthy food access in Los Angeles, Oakland and other California communities.  CFSC also serves as a national umbrella for other community-based groups working on this issue.

Contact: 503.954.2970,  andy@foodsecurity.org (location: Portland, OR)

Rebecca Flournoy, Assistant Director, PolicyLink
www.policylink.org

PolicyLink is developing policy solutions – like a National Fresh Food Financing Initiative – to attract more retailers dedicated to healthy foods into communities challenged by inequitable healthy food access.

Contact: 415.699.9158,  rflournoy@policylink.org (location: Oakland, CA)

Mari Gallagher, Principal, Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group and the National Center for Public Research
www.marigallagher.com
www.ncforpr.org

Mari is a researcher on inequitable food access in Chicago and author of a 2006 study and 2009 follow up study: Examining the Impact of Food Deserts on Public Health in Chicago.  Mari has developed methodologies to measure and identify areas with limited healthy food access in Chicago, Detroit and other Midwestern cities.

Contact: 312.339.0640,  mari@marigallagher.com (location: Chicago, IL)

Alan Hunt, Senior Policy Associate Agriculture and Food Policy, Wallace Center at Winrock International
www.wallacecenter.org

Alan, in collaboration with other groups, pursued legislation in the 2008 Farm Bill to improve healthy food access across the country, and is developing an agenda of coordinated policy recommendations to address inequitable healthy food access.

Contact: 571.230.2969,  ahunt@winrock.org (location: Washington, DC)

Ken Meter, President, Crossroads Resource Center
www.crossroadscenter.org

Ken is an agriculture economist and author of “Finding Food in Farm Country,” outlining food access deficits in rural communities, who has worked for 20 years in inner city urban communities. He was also nominated for World Hunger Year’s Harry Chapin Media Award for his writing about food access in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Contact: 612.869.8664,  kmeter@crcworks.org (location: Minneapolis, MN)

Pam Roy, Co-Director, Farm to Table Network
www.farmtotablenm.org

Farm to Table Network is an organization promoting locally based agriculture and the links between farming, health and local economies.  Pam has developed partnerships with Tribal and rural communities to improve food access to traditional and healthy foods.

Contact: 505.660.8403, pamelaroy@aol.com (location: Santa Fe, NM)

Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas
www.bcbstx.com

A former Commissioner of Health for the state of Texas, Eduardo focuses on public programs addressing childhood obesity and healthy food access.

Contact: 214.794.6992,  Eduardo_Sanchez@bcbstx.com (location: Austin, TX)

Malik Yakini, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN)
www.detroitblackfoodsecurity.org

DBCFSN has developed an urban farm, agriculture education programs, a cooperative buying club and has spearheaded the creation of a food policy council in Detroit – one of the country’s largest cities suffering from inequitable healthy food access.

Contact: 313.521.0400,  myakini@aol.com (location: Detroit, MI)

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The Wallace Center supports entrepreneurs and communities as they build a new, 21st century food system that is healthier for people, the environment, and the economy. The Center builds and strengthens links in the emerging chain of businesses and civic efforts focused on making good food—healthy, green, fair, affordable food—an everyday reality in every community. www.wallacecenter.org

Winrock International is a nonprofit organization that works with people in the United States and around the world to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity, and sustain natural resources. www.winrock.org