The purpose of this newsletter is to provide quick
contacts to KNN partner agencies and to other resources that might be
helpful to our partners. You should be able to read this newsletter in
less than 5 minutes – that’s our goal!
KNN August 2008 Newsletter
Welcome to the July 2008 issue of KNN’s email newsletter. Please
visit our web site at www.kansasnutritionnetwork.org. We
are always interested in how our partners are “partnering” to improve
nutrition and physical activity education throughout Kansas.
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Upcoming KNN Meetings and Other Important Dates!!!
September 12, 2008 at Prairie Land Foods in Topeka
The next KNN meeting is September 12 in Topeka at the Prairie Land Food warehouse. More information will follow. The meeting is from 10am - 2 pm, lunch provided. Please save the date!!
Poll: One in 4 Americans Fear Hunger as Food Prices Soar
New polling by the Alliance to End Hunger found that Americans are
increasingly worried that they or someone they know will experience
hunger. In their commentary on these findings, Max Finberg, director
of the Alliance to End Hunger, and Ann Steensland, manager of
communications, discuss how the poll data can help drive political
will to fight poverty. (Note: I know Max Finberg from when I worked
at the Campaign to End Childhood Hunger. Max was in charge of the
Bread for the World VISTA placements that we hosted for several
years.)
A poll released this week by Spotlight found that voters wanted to
hear more from the presidential candidates and the media about
poverty in America. In this commentary, Tom Freedman, former senior
advisor to President Clinton and John Bridgeland, former director of
the White House Domestic Policy Counsel under President Bush, look
at the findings and discuss what it means for the growing effort to
fight poverty.
New Report: Measuring Poverty in the United States
This recently released fact sheet by the National Center for
Children in Poverty at Columbia University explores how poverty is
measured by the federal government, and why the current method is
inadequate. The brief also examines alternative ways of measuring
poverty.
At the recent White House Office of Faith-Based and Community
Initiatives National conference, Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer
announced the "Fight Hunger Initiative," an effort to engage all
citizens in the fight against hunger in communities across America.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) created an online toolkit
that offers a step-by-step guide on how to help neighbors in need,
from volunteering at a food drive to planting community gardens. The
toolkit includes additional resources to help you learn more about
USDA food and nutrition programs. www.usda.gov/secretary For more
information on USDA's Office of Faith-Based and Community
Initiatives, please visit www.usda.gov/fbci.
The Food Stamp Program has released a new tip sheet titled, "Eat
Right When Money's Tight". This tip sheet provides information on
how to shop for a nutritious diet while on a low-income budget.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/foodstamp/pdf/eatrighwhenmoneystight.pdf
The Diet Quality and Food Consumption briefing room provides a central point for obtaining information about economic analyses of the Nation's food consumption trends, consumer reactions to changes in food prices and income, dietary patterns, and the relationship between food intake and nutritional/health outcomes such as obesity.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/DietAndHealth/
The Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) has just released a new report, Increasing Fruit and
Vegetable Consumption through the USDA Nutrition Assistance
Programs, that summarizes the actions and initiatives the Food and
Nutrition Service has implemented since 2002 to increase fruit and
vegetable consumption among nutrition assistance program
participants. The report can be accessed under the "What's New"
section at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/
Experts Question Practice of Sneaking Fruit, Vegetables into
Children's Dishes
Although the strategy of "sneaking" vegetables and fruit into everyday foods has gained popularity among parents, some health experts contend that it could backfire by failing to teach children how to make healthy food choices, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Panel Backs Cholesterol Drugs for Children : NPR
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92301402&sc=emaf
The American Academy of Pediatrics says some children as young as
eight should be given anti-cholesterol drugs. Dr. Jatinder Bhatia,
professor and chief of neonatology at the Medical College of Georgia
in Augusta, is a member of the panel that made the recommendations.
He says that with the increase in the number of children who are
overweight or obese, the risk factor for cardiovascular disease at
later stages increases.
The Food and Nutrition Information Center (FNIC) has recently
updated several resource lists: Child Nutrition and Health, and
Ethnic and Cultura. These are available in PDF.