Local Laws to Promote Access to Healthy Food

Local Laws to Promote Access to Healthy Food in the Southern States: What Works for Health Equity? Wednesday October 24, 2018 Sally Mancini, Director of Advocacy Resources UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity 1

On the Menu • Project Overview • Policy Crosswalk • Policy Database • Case Studies • Q&A www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 2

www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 3

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Identify and elevate local laws that seek to promote access to healthy food, and also contribute to strong local economies, an improved environment, and health equity, with a focus on socially disadvantaged and marginalized groups. www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 5

Identify and elevate local laws Laws that have been formally adopted by towns, cities, counties and other local governments www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 6

Identify and elevate local laws that seek to promote access What makes food accessible? #1: If it’s Affordable! And community members can: • Readily grow or raise it • Find it • Obtain it • Transport it • Prepare it • Eat it www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 7

Identify and elevate local laws that seek to promote access to healthy food • Minimally processed • Fresh, frozen, or canned produce that has little, if any, added sugar, salt, or fat • Culturally relevant • Meets evidence-based nutrition standards • Nutritious and safe to eat 7/11/18 www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 7 8

Identify and elevate local laws that seek to promote access to healthy food and also contribute to strong local economies • Encourage local dollars to stay in the community • Provide financial support for establishing or strengthening local businesses/trade/producers • Support livable wage jobs • Support humane working conditions for food workers • Create pathways for economic prosperity 7/11/18 www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 7 9

Identify and elevate local laws that seek to promote access to healthy food and also contribute to strong local economies an improved environment • • • Sustainable agricultural practices Clean air & water Biodiversity Human resilience to disease Waste reduction 7/11/18 www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 7 10

Identify and elevate local laws that seek to promote access to healthy food and also contribute to strong local economies an improved environment and health equity The absence of disadvantage in chronic disease -related health outcomes regardless of one’s race or ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, age, or mental health; cognitive, sensory, or physical disability; sexual orientation or gender identity; and/or geographic location. 7/11/18 www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 7 11

Identify and elevate local laws that seek to promote access to healthy food and also contribute to strong local economies an improved environment and health equity with a focus on socially disadvantaged and marginalized groups. • Systematically experience unfavorable social, economic, or political conditions • Restricted ability to participate fully in society and enjoy the benefits of progress 7/11/18 www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 7 12

Food System Framework www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 13

Food System Crosswalk 14

Policy Database: How did we decide which laws to include? • Identified laws through the Growing Food Connections policy database, search strings applied to municipal legal code libraries, and web searches. • Scoring Rubric— 60 indicators covering: • Background/Legal Context • Intensity (reach, scope, duration) • Vision (intent, purpose, key definitions) • Priority Populations • Linkages (health, local economy, environmental) • Implementation/Enforcement • Evaluation/Performance Measures • Food System Stage • Each law was scored at least 3 times • Two-person coding teams met to reach sufficient inter-coder reliability • One or more person(s) tasked with reconciliation and quality control www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 15

Policy Database www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 16

Using the Database in Policy Development • The database can provide IDEAS for policy approaches • Keep in mind: • Policy development is a multi-step process • Policy should be tailored to the community 7/11/2018 www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 17 17

Case Studies

How were case studies selected? www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 19

What we found www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 20

Lessons Learned from Case Studies • Benefits of working with others • Political support and broad outreach beyond public health can significantly advance healthy food policy change • Bundle healthy food policies with economic or environmental benefits for wider appeal • Pay attention to zoning laws • Think of community planners as public health practitioners • Need for continuous community engagement and building trust • Engage affected communities as soon as feasible • Listen to concerns, be willing to compromise if possible www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 21

Lessons Learned, cont’d All of a sudden it became clear to me that I might inadvertently be doing something that was going to create more disparities. It forced us to slow down. - Minneapolis Councilmember Cam Gordon • Realistic outlook about limitations • Understand enforcement limitations • Be prepared for obstacles to changing food consumption patterns • Attention to possible unintended consequences • Consider equity from multiple angles www. healthyfoodpolicyproject. org 22

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WWW. HEALTHYFOODPOLICYPROJECT. ORG TWITTER: @HEALTHYFOODLAWS FACEBOOK. COM/HEALTHYFOODPOLICYPROJECT Sally Mancini sally. mancini@uconn. edu