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 | | Fresh vegetables and fruits abound at the Crescent City Farmers' Market each Tuesday morning at University Square on Broadway. The Food Policy Advisory Committee of the New Orleans City Council is working to change the food landscape in the city. (Photo by Brian Gauvin) | |
The 25-member New Orleans Food Policy Advisory Committee, launched by a New Orleans City Council resolution in May, met for the first time in late June to address the critical need for better access to fresh, healthy food in New Orleans.
The committee was first conceived by a partnership of seven nonprofit organizations including the Prevention Research Center at Tulane University. Members include representatives from organizations such as the Office of Recovery Management, the Economics Institute at Loyola, the Southern Sustainable Agricultural Working Group, Catholic Charities, three local independent grocery chains, two national grocery chains, retail associations and two financial institutions, among other members.
At the first meeting, members heard from several speakers who explored the problem of food access from the standpoints of both health and economics. Tom Farley, director of the Prevention Research Center, highlighted Louisiana's poor health statistics and the ways that diet contribute to poor health. Farley is professor and chair of community health sciences in the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
Nick Bodor, a doctoral candidate in nutrition, addressed the ways that distance to a supermarket affects diet, citing studies from around the world as well as research conducted in New Orleans. He included a recent study by Farley and Randi Sokol that shows a strong willingness among low-income residents to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. However, the same study indicates that most do not have local access to these foods.
Discussion following these and other speakers showed that the committee has a strong commitment to stimulating dramatic change in the city's food landscape. Members shared preliminary recommendations, including:
Developing economic incentives for corner stores to carry fresh produce; Exploring ways to work within the Unified New Orleans Plan and the Office of Recovery Management's 17 targeted redevelopment zones; Integrating marketing and education into the committee's final recommendations; Seeking solutions that will foster New Orleans' cultural traditions, including going beyond supermarkets and corner stores to focus on community-driven retail outlets such as farmers' markets and mobile markets.
The committee will meet again in early September with "solutions" as the overarching topic. Speakers will include John Weidman, deputy director of the Food Trust and a member of the committee, who will share the organization's success story in Philadelphia. The partnership has also invited staff from PolicyLink, a national research and action institute focused on social equity that has been working in Louisiana. PolicyLink recently published a far-reaching report titled: Healthy Food, Healthy Communities: Improving Access and Opportunities through Food Retailing.
To learn more about issues related to food access, go to the Prevention Research Center website.
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Deirdre Boling is communications and training coordinator in the Prevention Research Center at Tulane University.
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