More Than Food, Healthy Food

As a hunger-relief organization, it’s important that we not only provide food to the communities we serve, but that we provide healthy food that allows for a well-balanced diet. The children and families served by food banks and pantries often lack access to affordable, healthy foods and are more likely to live with chronic diet-related illnesses. For this reason, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin has joined the Healthy Hunger Relief initiative with Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA).

By joining PHA in their mission, we are prioritizing the health of our communities. As a PHA partner, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin has committed to:

• Increasing the amount of food and beverages in our inventory that meets our newly adopted nutrition standards.
• Decreasing the amount of food and beverages that do not meet our newly adopted nutrition standards.
• Expanding educational resources that promote the consumption of nutritious foods in our inventory.
• Assisting agency partners in creating pantry spaces that encourage healthy choices.
• Consulting a community health or nutrition professional every step of the way.

To solidify our long-standing commitment to this work, we also independently developed a nutrition policy that sets a standard for the food we provide. The nutrition policy is a basis for clear and consistent decision-making about the types of items that come in and out of our food bank. A collaborative, multi-stakeholder, and research-based effort was used in the development of our nutrition policy.

“Using a collaborative approach allowed Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin staff, along with representatives from the health care community, our retail partners, and member pantries, to ask questions and weigh in on the content of each draft. The process highlighted both the need for nutritional standards in the work that we do and that the policy have a degree of flexibility to it, so that it remains adaptable to different communities and changing perspectives on nutrition.” -Cat Kirwin, Farm Link Coordinator/Nutrition Policy Steering Committee Chair

Our nutrition policy applies to purchased food and beverages and wholesaler/manufacturer-based donated product. We will no longer be distributing soda or candy, and we will be ranking food and beverages that we distribute based on per serving thresholds for saturated fats, sodium, and sugar. Excessive consumption of these three nutrients is linked to chronic diet-related illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. We will also prioritize grains and processed/packaged snacks that include whole grains as the main ingredient.

“We are excited to be a part of the Partnership for a Healthier America and their mission,” said Patti Habeck, President of Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. “Through this partnership and the development of our food policy we are showing a commitment to the health of our communities by increasing our distribution of healthy foods and reducing the amount of unhealthy foods that come through our food bank.”

As a PHA Healthy Hunger Relief partner, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin plays a critical role in ensuring that communities and families have access to nutritious foods at times when they might otherwise go without.