A Healthy Makeover: Nutrition-based Initiatives at Feeding America Food Banks in the United States Öffentlichkeit

Abstract

Food banks form the foundation of the United States' emergency food system under the umbrella
organization, Feeding America. The predominant mission of food banks is to alleviate food
insecurity, which was experienced in 2009 by 17.4 million households in the United States. To
achieve their mission, food banks historically did not differentiate between donations based on
nutritional value. However, given the prominence of obesity and diet-related diseases among
food insecure populations in the United States, some food banks have shifted their operational
strategies to emphasize the distribution of nutritious products. This exploratory qualitative study
assessed the role of nutrition at food banks, specifically focusing on nutrition profiling systems,
nutrition policies and fresh produce distribution in this paper. In-depth interviews were
conducted with 20 Feeding America food banks from June to October 2010. Transcribed
recordings were analyzed using MAXQDA10. Results show that nutrition policies to eliminate
products, such as soda and candy, were more controversial than nutrition profiling systems to
evaluate the quality of products. Most food banks showed a concerted effort to allocate more
fresh produce to communities through an assortment of activities. Notable concerns related to
these initiatives included: reducing the food options available to food insecure populations;
jeopardizing donor relationships; and partner agency resource limitations. The nutrition
paradigm shift undoubtedly provides improved access to nutritious products for those living in
food insecure households, but the extent of its impact on nutritional status deserves greater
attention in the future.

Table of Contents

Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Chapter 2: Literature Review 4

Food Insecurity in the United States 4

Food Insecurity and Obesity Paradox 9

Role of Food Banks 17

Significance of Study 27

Chapter 3: Manuscript 29

Abstract 32

Introduction 33

Methodology 36

Participant Selection 36

Data Collection Methods 37

Analysis 38

Results 39

Nutrition-based Initiatives 40

Influences on Nutrition-based Initiatives 46

Barriers to Nutrition-based Initiatives 51

Discussion 58

Conclusion 61

Chapter 4: Conclusions and Recommendations 63

References 67

Appendix A. U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module 71

Appendix B. Interview Guide 79

Appendix C. IRB Letter 82

About this Master's Thesis

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Nutrition Health Sciences, Public Health Health Sciences, General
Stichwort	United States Food Bank Nutrition
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Hennink, Monique, Emory University
Partnering Agencies	University, college or educational institution (other than Emory)

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