KC Whitsett joined the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources on March 25, 2024, as a project policy analyst. Originally from Virginia, KC earned a BS in Kinesiology and Health Sciences from the College of William & Mary. KC also holds a Master of Public Health from UC Berkeley, with an interdisciplinary concentration on research and evaluation methods for food access and nutrition programs. Her previous professional experiences include program and grant management and community health education. She has expertise in the evaluation of physical activity and food access programs—healthy corner store initiatives, mobile markets, SNAP incentives—and farmworkers' access to health care services. In her role at NPI, KC will support qualitative data collection and analysis for projects related to school meals, the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children—commonly known as WIC.
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NPI welcomes KC Whitsett as new project policy analyst
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NPI receives funding to conduct a research project on milk-fat content effects on toddler health
Milk provides various nutrients such as calcium, protein, and vitamin D, which are essential for health and brain development. In the US, it is advised that children switch from the recommended whole cow's milk from ages 1-2 to low-fat or non-fat milk after age 2 to reduce saturated fat and calorie intake, however, few studies support this recommendation. Nutrition Policy Institute researchers and Anisha Patel with the Stanford Medicine Department of Pediatrics recently received funding for a research study from the National Institute of Health. The study, Milk Type in Toddlers or Milk-TOT, includes a randomized controlled trial that will investigate how whole and low-fat 1% milk affect child adiposity, dietary intake, and health outcomes, aiming to provide evidence-based recommendations for dietary guidelines. The California Dairy Research Foundation provided additional funding to include the assessment of the impacts of varying milk types on participating children's gut microbiota diversity, in collaboration with Justin Sonnenburg with the Stanford Medicine Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Parents or caregivers with children between 23-30 months old living in the San Francisco Bay Area may be eligible to participate in the study. The four-year project began in January 2024 and is estimated to end in June 2028. The project is led by Lorrene Ritchie as the principal investigator, and NPI researchers, Kassandra Bacon, Ryan Williams, Suzanne Rauzon, Celeste Felix, Hannah Thompson, Fanta Jimissa, Reka Vasicsek and Meirong Liao.
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Research brief examines benefits of Massachusetts’ Healthy School Meals for All policy on families
A recent research brief from researchers at Merrimack College and the Nutrition Policy Institute highlights the impact of the Massachusetts Healthy School Meals for All policy on families. The policy was implemented in 2022, aiming to alleviate financial burdens for families by providing free school meals for all students. A sample of 284 parents selected to be representative of the state completed a survey, revealing strong support for the policy across all income brackets. Families reported numerous benefits of the policy, including financial savings, time efficiency, and reduced stress as well as improved student behavior and academic achievement. Moreover, survey results demonstrated that if the policy ended, parents believe there would be an increase in the stigma associated with receiving meal assistance which could prevent some children from consuming school meals. This research brief helps support the continuation of the Healthy School Meals for All policy as well as future efforts to expand access to nutrition programs in schools. This research brief was developed by Juliana Cohen with Merrimack College and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Nutrition Policy Institute researchers Wendi Gosliner, Christina Hecht, Ken Hecht, Monica Zuercher, and Lorrene Ritchie, and Marlene Schwartz from the University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, and. This research was funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Eating Research and Project Bread.
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NPI welcomes Caitlin French as new Assistant Project Scientist
Caitlin French joined the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources on March 1, 2024 as an Assistant Project Scientist. Caitlin earned her PhD in Nutritional Biology with an emphasis in Global Nutrition from UC Davis. Her previous and current research endeavors focus on dietary analysis methods, dietary biomarkers, and evaluating the impacts of nutrition programs, such as produce prescriptions and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC. Her primary research interests center on informing policies and programs that aim to achieve equity in access to healthy foods and environments and to reduce diet-related chronic diseases. In her role at NPI, she will support the evaluation of California's Universal School Meals Program.
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California Agriculture publishes NPI-led special issue on lessons learned during COVID-19
California Agriculture, the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources research journal, has published a special issue on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to inform Cooperative Extension programming and local, state, and federal policy to improve population health, food security, economic resilience, equity, and sustainability throughout the state and food system. The special issue was developed by Nutrition Policy Institute director, Lorrene Ritchie alongside Marcel Horowitz a UC Cooperative Extension community nutrition and health advisor, and Gail Feestra, UC ANR emerita and the former UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program director. Published in December 2023, the issue includes nine articles on studies conducted within the first two years of the pandemic. The articles emphasize the importance of infrastructure investments and offer new strategies to improve resilience in the face of future challenges, based on results found during COVID-19. The issue includes a published research article on the results of school meal consumption during COVID-19, written by Nutrition Policy Institute researchers, Kaela Plank, Amanda Linares, Sridharshii Hewawitharana, and Gail Woodward-Lopez.
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Study examines associations among participants in safety-net programs with government perceptions, welfare stigma, and discrimination
Safety net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP nationally and CalFresh in California, and the Earned Income Tax Credit, commonly known as EITC, provides great benefits to families facing economic hardship and food insecurity. However, participation in these programs was lower in California compared to the national average. Nutrition Policy Institute researchers examined the associations of participation in SNAP and receipt of the Earned Income Tax Credit with perceptions of government, welfare stigma, and discrimination among families in California with low incomes. Researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey and interviews involving 497 caregivers of young children in California between August 2020 and May 2021. Study results highlighted that SNAP participants and EITC recipients had greater perceptions of social stigma compared to eligible non-participants in these programs in the beginning of the pandemic. Further, SNAP was associated with program stigma and experiences of discrimination among food-insecure participants. This study suggests that reducing stigma related to safety net program participation is important, and policymakers should consider initiatives to improve messaging and outreach that may help. The study was recently published in the Health Affairs Scholar journal. This study was conducted by Nutrition Policy Institute researchers Richard Pulvera and Wendi Gosliner, along with Kaitlyn Jackson and Rita Hamad of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Lia Fernald with the School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley.
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Nutrition Policy Institute comments to the US Food and Drug Administration’s strategies to reduce added sugars consumption in the United States
The excessive consumption of added sugars by Americans has surpassed the recommended levels outlined in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, highlighting a pressing public health concern.The Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources submitted a public comment in response to the US Food and Drug Administration's call for strategies to reduce added sugars consumption in the United States. The comment outlines 13 recommended actions for federal agencies and four recommended actions that other stakeholders can take to minimize added sugars consumption. Additionally, NPI urged the FDA to address safety concerns around the replacement of added sugars with low- and no-calorie sweeteners, specifically among children. Federal agencies and stakeholders have ample opportunities to decrease added sugars consumption in the US. and NPI emphasized the need for action on recommendations to enhance food safety and empower consumers to make healthier choices. The public comment period was open from November 6, 2023, to January 22, 2024. All submitted comments are available to view online on Regulations.gov.
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Nutrition Policy Institute expands social media presence to LinkedIn
The Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources is excited to announce the launch of our official LinkedIn Business Page. Follow us for the latest updates from NPI including research and policy insights, upcoming events, job openings and news on nutrition, food policy and public health. You can also stay connected with NPI by following us on X (formerly known as Twitter) and subscribing to our quarterly email newsletter, NPI's Research to Action news brief.
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New study suggests a need for the simplification of the student SNAP process
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP nationally, and commonly known as CalFresh in California, gives approximately 3.3 million college students access to essential food assistance. However, an estimated 57% of SNAP-eligible students do not enroll. The research team conducted individual and group interviews from February 2020 and December 2021 through Zoom to gain insight into the student SNAP application process from the perspective of CalFresh county agency workers. Through this qualitative approach, the research team aimed to better understand the student SNAP application process from the perspective of county agency workers. The study identified 5 central themes, in which county agency workers perceived the process as challenging for students, and burdensome for administration workers. The research study was recently published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior by Suzanna Martinez, Sonali Singh, and Erin Esaryk with the University of California San Francisco, San Francisco's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Nutrition Policy Institute researcher, Lorrene Ritchie.
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NPI’s Wendi Gosliner interviewed for If I Could Change One Thing health policy podcast
Wendi Gosliner from the Nutrition Policy Institute discussed efforts to enhance population health and nutrition, focusing on eliminating disparities and improving federal food programs in a recent If I Could Change One Thing health policy podcast episode. Highlighting policy amendments during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gosliner emphasized the impact on food access, particularly for SNAP, WIC, school meal programs, and expansion of the Child Tax Credit. Stressing the importance of tackling food insecurity and reducing waste, she called for comprehensive interventions in federal nutrition programs. “When we think about growing food, and all of the inputs that are needed to grow food—the energy, the water, the soil, the human labor, the money to harvest it and transport it— then it gets to us, we buy it, we store it, and then we often throw it away," said Gosliner. "The amount of resources that's wasted with each food item that is thrown away is immense. And then not only that, but food, when it's decomposing in landfills, creates methane, which is a greenhouse gas contributor all on its own. So, for so many reasons, having us throwing away a lot of food is incredibly costly.” Gosliner, NPI's director of food policy research and translation, shared insights with co-hosts James Romine and Rocio Flores in season eight, episode one of the podcast. The podcast is produced by the San Diego State University, School of Public Health. Listen online.
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Study examines differences in California parent’s perceptions of school meals during COVID by race and ethnicity
In May 2020, running until the end of the 2021-2022 school year, the US Congress authorized the US Department of Agriculture to issue nationwide waivers that allowed all schools to provide universal free school meals to mitigate the impacts of school closures as well as the broader economic challenges faced by families during the COVID-19 emergency. This study aimed to examine parent perceptions about school free meals and whether these perceptions differed by race and ethnicity. In May 2022, 1100 California parents of K-12 students from varying racial and ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, and State regions responded to a survey to share their perspectives about school meals during the school year 2021-22. Across all racial and ethnic groups, California parents reported that free school meals offered multiple benefits to families, saving them money, time, and stress, and expressed that the stigma associated with school meals was low. However, parents expressed that there was an area for improvement in the variety, taste, and healthfulness of school meals, where parents of Hispanic and Asian students reported less favorable perceptions of these qualities than parents of White students. This study suggests that there is strong support among parents for free school meals, but further efforts are needed to implement a variety of culturally appropriate school meals and make improvements in their taste and healthfulness. Results from the study were recently published in the Health Affairs Scholar journal. The study was conducted by Nutrition Policy Institute researchers Monica Zuercher, Christina Hecht, Kenneth Hecht, and Dania Orta-Aleman in collaboration with Juliana Cohen, Deborah Olarte, and Leah Chapman from Merrimack College, Punam Ohri-Vachaspati from Arizona State University, Michele Polacsek from the University of New England, Margaret Read from Share Our Strength, Anisha Patel from Stanford Pediatrics, and Marlene Schwartz from the University of Connecticut.
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Study outlines strategies needed for financial stability in an evaluation of a food hub intervention
Nutrition Policy Institute researchers studied an intervention for the expansion of the Mandela Health and Wealth Net, a food hub-based healthy retail initiative located in Oakland, California. The Mandela Produce Distribution food hub aggregates, distributes, and markets source-identified food products to enhance the accessibility of affordable, high-quality produce within low-income, low-access neighborhoods. The Nutrition Policy Institute research team examined how, with a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mandela Partners was able to expand their food hub while implementing complementary interventions to ensure that the residents of low-income, low-access neighborhoods had increased access to fruits and vegetables. New produce retail sites were carefully selected to be places where neighborhood residents already frequented; complementary interventions included taste tests, marketing, accommodating SNAP-EBT payment, and offering a dollar-matching program for produce purchased using SNAP-EBT. This combination of strategies resulted in improved accessibility and purchases of fruits and vegetables in low-income, low-access neighborhoods and benefited local stores and regional farms; however, the overall food hub net losses increased during the period of expansion. Researchers suggest that for food-hubs to be financially self-sustaining, adjustments may be needed to reduce operating costs and increase revenues. The study led by Janice Kao, Gail Woodward-Lopez, Maria Isabel Rangel, and Aviva Hicks was published in the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition.
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Editorial urges bold action for equitable access to nutrition assistance by all
More Americans are now sick with diet-related conditions than are well. In the American Journal of Public Health's special issue on "Policies and Strategies to Increase Equitable Access to Family Nutrition," Lorrene Ritchie and Wendi Gosliner of the Nutrition Policy Institute advocate for bold action to improve the health and diets of all Americans. Their editorial entitled “Bold Action Needed for Equitable Access to Nutrition Assistance by All” along with the supporting research featured in the special issue emphasize that while federal nutrition assistance helps one in four Americans and over half of school-aged children, more needs to be done to address food and financial insecurity and improve the diet and health of Americans. Ritchie and Gosliner suggest that, “Currently the nutrition assistance programs conflate two separate issues, one involving people facing poverty with inadequate resources to secure adequate food and the other involving structural supports to the food system and societal norms that facilitate abundant access to and promotion of relatively cheap and unhealthy options, leading to poor diets being the status quo.” They recommend rethinking nutrition assistance's role in combating poverty, suggesting income and housing support, and separately, restructuring federal nutrition assistance programs to support healthy food consumption for all, like providing school meals for all K-12 students, and restructuring retail food environments to create new healthy norms. The special issue and editorial were published online on December 20, 2023.
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Study finds that SNAP and WIC stores offer healthier food retail environment in low-income California neighborhoods
A recent study examined how stores' participation in federal assistance programs, such as Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program— commonly known as WIC and SNAP or CalFresh in California—influence the availability and quality of healthy foods in low-income California neighborhoods. The study assessed 731 convenience stores and small markets, and found that stores enrolled in both SNAP and WIC had greater availability of healthy food options and higher quality fresh produce compared to stores participating in neither program. Further, small markets more often carried a broader selection of high-quality fresh produce than convenience stores. The study findings suggest that implementing policies incentivizing store involvement in SNAP and WIC can improve access to healthy foods for low-income individuals. The study recently published in the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, was conducted by Nutrition Policy Institute researchers Richard Pulvera, Sridharshi Hewawitharana, Hannah Thompson, Wendi Gosliner, and Cindy Leung with the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. The authors thank the staff at the California Department of Public Health's Nutrition and Physical Activity Branch, local health department staff and participating stores, and Gail-Woodward Lopez.
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NPI's director of community health Suzanne Rauzon retires
Suzanne Rauzon, director of community health for the Nutrition Policy Institute, will retire in January 2024. Rauzon's University of California career began over twenty years ago when she joined the UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health, which joined NPI in 2015. Rauzon has mentored numerous students, NPI staff and researchers. She worked on community health interventions including a variety of Kaiser Permanente initiatives to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Rauzon also pioneered new research tools including the highly influential community intervention dose index used to evaluate multiple community intervention strategies. She will continue to support NPI as an emeritus researcher beyond January 2024. Learn more about Rauzon's career and legacy in this news story. To support Rauzon's legacy and the ongoing work in health and nutrition, you can donate to NPI's Student Fellowship, which provides students from underrepresented groups the opportunity to work on NPI research and be mentored by NPI researchers.
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New study shows school meal consumption during COVID increased intake of fruit and vegetables and sugary drinks
Nutrition Policy Institute researchers led a recent study published in the California Agriculture journal. During COVID-related school closures school meal consumption was associated with eating more fruits and vegetables. Researchers administered online surveys to 3,297 fourth and fifth-grade students in 67 CalFresh Healthy Living–eligible schools and after-school programs in California during the pandemic. Survey results showed that, on average, students who ate one or more school meals daily consumed fruit and vegetables four times per day. This was significantly higher than students who did not eat school meals; they consumed fruits only two times and vegetables three times per day. However, 100% fruit juice accounted for 40% of daily fruit intake and students who ate school meals had significantly higher sugar-sweetened beverage intake with three-quarters of it coming from flavored milk. Study results suggest an opportunity for improvement in supporting and encouraging schools to continue providing nutritious meals, whole fruits instead of 100% juice, and reduce sugary drink consumption by promoting unflavored milk. The study was led by NPI researchers Kaela Plank, Amanda Linares, Sridharshii Hewawitharana and Gail Woodward-Lopez. This study was conducted as a part of a contract with the California Department of Public Health with funding from the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education.
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Research Brief: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participants appreciate behavioral science informed nutrition text messages
The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—known as SNAP nationally and CalFresh in California—provides food benefits to over 22 million low-income families in the US to supplement their grocery budget. New Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI) research demonstrates that sending encouraging text messages to SNAP participants helps promote nutrition resources and stimulate positive feelings about the program. NPI researchers collaborated with the University of California, San Diego, Center for Community Health, to partner with the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency to send 5 monthly behavioral science-informed nutrition text messages to approximately 170,000 CalFresh participants. The text messages were sent in English and Spanish and provided information about the benefits of buying and consuming California-grown fruits and vegetables. Each text-message included a link to a website which provided information about selecting, storing, and preparing fruits and vegetables, and budget-friendly recipes. Results highlighted that participants gained better knowledge on these subjects, as well as feeling good about participating in CalFresh and appreciating the program's efforts to help participants eat healthfully. Survey results demonstrated that 90% of respondents appreciated the text-messages. This research brief demonstrates that further communication efforts through text-messages from SNAP agencies can help program participants eat more healthfully and improve their views on SNAP. The brief was developed by NPI researchers Celeste Felix, Ron Strochlic and Wendi Gosliner and Sena Karvas from the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health.
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NPI job openings: Assistant or Associate Project Scientists to support evaluation of California’s universal school meals program
The Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources is seeking to hire two Assistant or Associate Project Scientists to support our work to evaluate California's universal school meals program. The positions will conduct literature reviews and develop research questions, hypotheses and study methods; develop participant recruitment and retention protocols and protocols for IRB submission; and design and conduct collaborative research and evaluation projects, including conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis. They will facilitate state and national interactions between researchers, policymakers, and diverse community groups. The positions will write grants, research reports and peer-reviewed publications and develop science-based policy and environmental solutions to lifestyle-related health problems for diverse populations. The salaries are $71,500 to $91,000 or $87,000 to $107,600 annually. The positions are one-year renewable term appointments with possible extensions. More information about the positions and how to apply is available online. Application packets must be received by December 11, 2023, to ensure full consideration (new deadline). Questions? Contact Tatiana Avoce: tavoce@ucanr.edu. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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NPI welcomes Julia Nguyen as new personnel coordinator
Julia Nguyen joined the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources on October 17, 2023 as a personnel coordinator. Her background includes project management and diversity, equity and inclusion-related work and she began her master's in business administration studies at UC Davis this fall. Julia was referred to apply to UCANR through her agricultural network and has always admired the work NPI has done for underserved communities. She will be working closely with the NPI operations team to ensure that NPI personnel are supported on an administrative front for the important work that they do. Julia is focusing on international business and diversity, equity and inclusion in graduate school and in the future hopes to help ensure that intersectional management practices become the norm for any type of project or organization. She also has experience in agricultural sciences, international development, and food service.
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Study finds that racial and ethnic disparities in infant diet quality index predict differences in later diet quality
A recent study found that higher infant diet quality scores observed in Hispanic Spanish-speaking participants account for certain racial and ethnic variations in later diet quality, suggesting that enhancing infant nutrition could mitigate early childhood diet disparities. Researchers focused on data from participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, to analyze nutritional practices based on racial and ethnic differences among young children. The researchers found that infant diet quality among Hispanic Spanish-speaking families accounted for 25% of later diet disparities based on racial and ethnic differences. The study was published in The Journal of Nutrition, including authors Lauren Au, Charles Arnold, and Sarina Lin from the University of California, Davis, Department of Nutrition, Lorrene Ritchie from the Nutrition Policy Institute, and Edward Frongillio from the University of South Carolina, Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior.
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