No federal policies and few state policies affecting food bank donations currently prioritize nutrition, according to a new report released today by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The report, Policy Approaches to Healthier Food Banking, finds that only 43 (14.6 percent) of 295 federal and state policies impacting food donation address donated food’s nutritional quality.
The report calls for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish nutritional guidelines for its food distribution programs (the Emergency Food Assistance Program, the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservation) and offers other recommendations for the public and private sectors.
Research shows that 25 percent of food and beverages distributed through food banks is unhealthy, according to MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger and the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. At the same time, the nation is facing high levels of food and nutrition insecurity, exacerbated by COVID-19, particularly among families with low incomes and in communities of color, according to the report. Sixty million people relied on food banks and other charitable food system organizations in 2020.
“Food insecure adults and children are at risk of developing diet-related disease and poor health outcomes,” said CSPI campaign manager for healthy food access Joelle Johnson. “As the holiday season approaches, more individuals and families might be seeking help from the charitable food system, and they deserve fresh, nutritious food that meets their needs.”
