New Report on Access to Healthy Foods in Washington State

In September, CAGJ Director Heather English Day presented at the Washington Food and Nutrition Council’s Annual Conference, “Getting Back to Our Roots: Finding the Way Forward To Farm Fresh Food”, along with many other local advocates for food security and justice.  Everything from local urban farm projects to global food sovereignty was covered, giving attendees a wide range of knowledge and tools to work for a just food system.

For anyone working on the local food economy in Washington State, a recently released report covered at the conference from the UW Center for Public Health and Nutrition gives great in-depth insight to barriers and strategies confronting advocates working towards a healthier, sustainable food system.  The Center interviewed 65 different stakeholders in the Washington State food system, including farmers, processors, transporters, political and community organizations, healthcare providers, grocery stores, and many more.

From Partners in Action:

The Center for Public Health Nutrition presented a report called Opportunities for Increasing Access to Healthy Foods in Washington. To prepare the report, Center staff interviewed 65 leaders and stakeholders representing all components of Washington’s food system from production to waste management. The stakeholders identified:
1) Perceived barriers and enhancers of access to healthy foods from multiple points of view; 2) Perceived opportunities to improve access; and 3) Current involvement in initiatives to improve access to healthy foods. Center staff also reviewed over 100 sets of recommendations to improve access to healthy foods that have been put forth by experts in nutrition, planning, agriculture, economics and public health. Based on the interviews and the expert recommendations, the Center prepared a report that highlights strategies that can be used to improve Washington’s food system.

You can access and download the full report here.  The report was released at a June Food Strategies Summit, organized by the Access to Healthy Foods Coalition.

Posted in Food Justice Blog Posts.

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