E85: Changes to SNAP and WIC in Response to the Pandemic are Innovations

August 27, 2020

This podcast is part of a series focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our food system. Today, we are talking about the changes policymakers have made to SNAP and WIC, the country’s largest federal nutrition assistance programs. Our guest is Public Policy Professor Carolyn Barnes from the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Food | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | Social Safety Net & Food |

 

E81: Time for Universal Free School Meals

July 28, 2020

This podcast is part of series focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our food system. When the pandemic forced schools to close, school districts and states scrambled to keep a nutritional safety net working for vulnerable students. Millions of US students rely on school meals and summer feeding programs to get food each day. I am delighted to welcome Janet Poppendieck from the City University of New York Urban Food Policy Institute to this podcast. She is the author of “Free for All: Fixing School Lunch in America.”

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Children Food Preferences | COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Food | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | School Meals |

 

E78: How NC School Nutrition Programs are Grappling with Covid

June 16, 2020

On March 14th of this year when Governor Cooper issued his Executive Order and closed North Carolina public schools statewide, the first challenge was how do we continue to offer this essential service and feed our students? This podcast is part of a series focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our food system. Today we’re looking at how North Carolina’s School Meal Programs have adapted during the pandemic and how some school children are continuing to get the nutrition that they need.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Children Food Preferences | COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Food | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Policy | North Carolina | School Meals |

 

E77: School Meals During a Pandemic – What Works with Katie Wilson

June 3, 2020

About 33 million children access school meals every day across the country. Today, we’re exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young students: children who receive much needed nutrition through their school. We interviewed Dr. Katie Wilson, executive director of the Urban School Food Alliance. The Urban School Food Alliance is a nonprofit coalition of the largest school districts in the U.S, including New York, LA, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Children Food Preferences | COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Food | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | School Meals |

 

E48: Maureen Black on Lasting Impact of Food Insecurity on Children

September 23, 2019

It is well known, and has been for many years, how prevalent food insecurity is in the U.S. and elsewhere. People are especially moved when they think of children who are malnourished. Our guest Dr Maureen Black is one of the world’s leading experts on nutrition and its impact on the health and development of children and on how to reduce health disparities by improving child nutrition.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Children Food Preferences | Diet & Nutrition | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | Obesity |

 

E46: Charlie Cart’s Carolyn Federman on Food, Fun, and Classrooms

September 10, 2019

Americans have become distant from their food. It was once the case that people either grew food themselves or perhaps, just one step away from it, buying food from farmers or from markets served by local farmers, but boy, is it ever different now. Food is processed, it’s shipped long distances, and people are less in touch with how food is created, how to cook it, and more. There are some impressive efforts underway to help correct this problem. Some of the more impressive ones that focused on children such as the work of Carolyn Federman, the inspiration behind a highly innovative program known as Charlie Cart.

Related podcasts: Chefs & Food Writers | Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Children Food Preferences | Diet & Nutrition | School Meals |

 

E34: Juan Rivera on the Success of Mexico’s Soda Tax

April 24, 2019

For people around the world who believe that taxing sugared beverages is a good public health policy, the country of Mexico passing such a tax was a stunning victory. There was a significant need in Mexico to be sure, given high rates of obesity, especially in children, and very high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. But there was also a powerful beverage industry fighting the taxes. A fascinating story unfolded as the tax was being considered with a number of courageous and creative individuals at the center. One key figure is today’s guest, Dr. Juan Rivera.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Children Food Preferences | Diet & Nutrition | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy | Obesity | Soda Taxes | Ultra-processed Food & Additives |

 

E23: Al Sommer on Vitamin A, Blindness and Global Politics

March 21, 2019

We speak today with someone whose work is credited with preventing 400,000 cases of blindness and saving as many as 1 million deaths per year. Dr. Alfred Sommer has earned this place in global history. He discovered that Vitamin A deficiency reduces immune responsiveness and resistance to infectious diseases such as diarrhea and measles. He proved that vaccination for smallpox as late as six days after infection can prevent the disease. He demonstrated the effectiveness of a simple and effective tool for monitoring the nutritional health of children at high risk of dying from malnutrition, and he identified an early accurate predictor of optic nerve damage, signaling when to start Glaucoma therapy.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Diet & Nutrition | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E27: William Dietz on Obesity, Undernutrition & Climate Change

March 3, 2019

It would seem at first glance that undernutrition and obesity are opposite sides of the same coin and not very related to one another and that neither of these issues would be related at all to climate change. Well, this turns out to not be true at all according to an authoritative new report for our listeners. The title of the report is The Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition and Climate Change, The Lancet Commission Report. One of the architects of that report is Dr. William Dietz.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Insecurity | International Food & Ag Policy | Obesity | Regenerative Agriculture |

 

E6: Shiriki Kumanyika on the Disparities in our Food

January 22, 2019

Is it fair or ethical to allow food companies to target low-income communities with marketing for unhealthy foods? Should the health of our communities take a back seat to industry profits? These are surprisingly difficult questions we’ll explore today with Dr. Shiriki Kumanyika on The Leading Voices in Food.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Diet & Nutrition | Eating Disorders | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Obesity | Ultra-processed Food & Additives |