Meal Quality & Obesity

Despite recent years of unprecedented economic growth in the United States, the number of American families, including children, experiencing hunger has continued to rise. But hunger is only one result of poverty.  Poverty decreases one's access to affordable and nutritious foods, thus contributing to the obesity epidemic.  

Announcements

News

Research and Reports Updated!

Press

Outreach  

Online Resources on Obesity

Announcements 

Save the Date for Nutrition Lobby Day on April 28th!  For more information on how you can help support obesity prevention bills, contact Jessica Reich at (415) 777.4422 x 129 or jreich@cfpa.net.

News

Dissecting the myths of junk food bans in schools.  San Francisco's Aptos Middle School banned soda sales three months ago and has found success despite warnings.  Click here to read this story in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Research and Reports

• The State of the Plate: A Primer on California's School Meals (CFPA, 2005) covers everything you wanted to know about school breakfast and lunch...but were afraid to ask.
• Improving Meal Quality in California's Schools: A best practices guide for health school food service (CFPA, revised 2003)
• Read CFPA’s new report titled, "Neighborhood Groceries: New Access to Healthy Food in Low-Income Communities" on developing corner grocery stores as a source of produce for families.
• How your Assembly district stands on childhood fitness and obesity is revealed in this new report by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.  
• From the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, An Epidemic: Overweight and Unfit Children in Assembly Districts. 
• PowerPoint presentation on obesity by the Center for Weight and Health
• School Lunch Salad Bars, USDA
• Availability of Fresh Produce in Nutrition Assistance Programs, USDA
• Epidemic Increase in Childhood Overweight, 1986-1998 
• Policy Recommendations in Response to the Obesity Epidemic

• The Importance of Nutrition for Health And Disease Prevention in Children Ages 0-6

• Strategic Alliance to Prevent Childhood Obesity: A School-Community Approach Does your organization want to join the Strategic Alliance to Prevent Childhood Obesity? Find out how by clicking here!

• ERS USDA: The Diets of America's Children Influence of Dining Out, Household Characteristics, and Nutrition Knowledge  

For information on soda consumption, ties between soda consumption and obesity, and current California law regarding exclusive beverage contracts with schools, please check out the following links:

• Liquid Candy – CSPI
• Marion Nestle article Public Health Reports (list not on website)  
• CA law and soda contracts
• Soda consumption

For more information on school meals, their nutritional content, and what kids are eating while they are at school, check out the following reports: 

• School Dietary Assessment

• School meal participation and fruit and vegetable consumption

• CalCHEEPS survey

For information on competitive foods, the law and legal history around foods sold in competition with the school meal programs, see the following links:

• Occidental report

• Competitive foods report

• Current CA competitive foods law

• Fast Food Survey

• Commercial activities HEHS-00-156, September 8, 2000

Other reports of interest on school finances, time spent eating meals at school, etc.:

• California School Food Finance Study: Key Findings

• Halting the obesity epidemic: a public health approach

• Time spent eating lunch at school or http://www.nfsmi.org/Information/eating_at_school.pdf

Press (passwords not necessary, hit cancel)

• Junk Food: S.F. School District Considers Ban (SF Chronicle, 1/14/03)

• Junk Food Wars (Sacramento Bee, 11/14/02)

• School Teach the 3 C's: Cookies, Candy, Chips (New York Times, 9/24/02)

• Growing up too fat - Kids suffer adult ailments as more become dangerously obese
  (San Francisco Chronicle, 5/12/02)

• Making schools healthier can cut obesity (United Press International, 7/25/02)  

• Supersize Country  (Washington Post, 12/14/01)

• School Board Will Ban Sweets (Oakland Tribune, 12/14/01)

• Coca Cola Rethinks Soda Sales in Schools (USA Today 3/14/01)

• The Lure of Snacks (San Gabriel Tribune, 2/11/01)  

• Souped Up School Food (SF Chronicle Article, 2/7/01) 

• Nutrition, Obesity and Perception (AP 1/9/01)

Outreach

• CFPA Talking Points on Meal Quality/Obesity

• Alternative ideas for schools (coming soon)

• Best Practices Guide (coming soon)

• Highlights of local schools (coming soon)

• Sample local school nutrition policies:

                *LA POLICY

Online Resources on Obesity

American Dietetic Association-Position Papers http://www.eatright.org/positions.html

California Healthy Kids Survey http://www.wested.org/hks/

Center for Disease Control- Obesity http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/pr-obesity.htm

Tufts Nutrition Navigator http://navigator.tufts.edu/  

COMMUNITIES OF COLOR ISSUE BRIEFING PAPER:
Addressing the Obesity Epidemic  http://www.cpehn.org/pdfs/Addressing_the_Obesity_Epidemic.pdf

For additional information, you may contact Jessica Reich, Director of Food Quality Policy, at (415) 777.4422 x 129 or jreich@cfpa.net.