Food Outlets and Access

Mission:

The mission of the Food Outlets and Access workgroup was to identify existing strategies, and propose feasible new strategies to improve food environments with a goal of: 1) increasing fruit and vegetable consumption (↑FV); 2) decreasing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption (↓SSB); and 3) decreasing consumption of energy-dense foods (↓ED).  Strategies to improve nutrition environments in schools, worksites, and early childhood care and education settings are addressed in the sections of the plan focused on those settings.  This workgroup focused on other settings including farmers markets, convenience stores, food banks, restaurants, grocery stores, commodities and assistance programs, and community gardens and community supported agriculture.

For additional information on efforts to promote gardens and farm-to-fork initiatives, please see strategies for Schools, Early Childhood Education and Care, and the Built Environment.  For additional information on other strategies for increasing consumption of healthy foods please see strategies for Worksites, Schools, Early Childhood Education and Care, and Healthcare.

Context: 

A movement to enhance community-based food systems is growing in Montana.  In addition to having the potential to improve the economic, environmental and nutritional health of the state, some of the strategies that are central to this movement may result in an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. 

There is also a growing awareness of the need to reduce disparities in access to healthy food associated with income, geography and ethnicity. 

The strategies identified in this plan are designed to:

  • Support existing efforts where their goals intersect with the desired behavior changes identified by the CDC (primarily increasing fruit and vegetable intake); and
  • Address gaps in existing efforts by proposing new or expanded strategies for promoting behavior change (especially decreasing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and high energy dense foods).

Ten Year Vision:

By 2020:

More Montanans in all income levels, of all ethnicities, and in all parts of the state will have increased access to, and will regularly consume, low-energy-dense, high nutrient foods such as fruits and vegetables.  When possible, these foods will be locally produced in order to promote the economic and environmental as well as the nutritional health of the state.  This vision, and the objectives and goals listed below, will specifically support the following Healthy People 2020 objectives:

NWS HP2020–6: Increase the contribution of fruits to the diets of the population aged 2 years and older

NWS HP2020–7: Increase the variety and contribution of vegetables to the diets of the population aged 2 years and older.

NWS HP2020–17: Reduce consumption of calories from solid fats and added sugars in the population aged 2 years and older.

NWS HP2020–18: Increase the number of States that have State-level policies that incentivize food retail outlets to provide foods that are encouraged by the Dietary Guidelines.

 

Two Year Objectives:

By 12/12:

1. Pilot and evaluate a food buying club to provide consumers with fruits and vegetables at a lower cost, and disseminate project description and evaluation results via web site.
Who:  NAPA
Behavior: ↑FV

2. Provide a webinar for food bank personnel on increasing access to, marketing of and education about fruits and vegetables.
Who:  Rural Health Initiative, Food Bank personnel
Behavior: ↑FV

3. Update Abundant Montana, a print and on-line resource for promoting locally grown foods including fruits and vegetables.
Who: AERO 
Behavior:  ↑FV

4. Provide a webinar and resources for community child nutrition advocates on improving items on children’s menus.
Who:  NAPA, Rural Health Initiative
Behaviors:  ↑FV ↓SSB  ↓ED

5. Expand the number of venues in which WIC participants can use Fruit and Vegetable Benefits and/or the Farmers Market Nutrition Package.
Who:  WIC
Behavior:  ↑FV

6. Increase dissemination of “What Incredible Choices” materials to promote fruit and vegetable consumption among WIC participants.
Who:  WIC
Behavior:  ↑FV

7. Explore the feasibility and utility of establishing an American Indian Food Policy Council, including linking such a council to the Food Systems Council and/or the Food Security Council.  
Who:  NAPA
Behaviors:  ↑FV ↓SSB  ↓ED

8. Pilot and evaluate a project to increase the availability of healthier food options (including fresh, frozen and/or canned fruits and vegetables) in convenience stores in frontier areas and/or on reservations, and disseminate a project description and evaluation results.
WHO:   NAPA
Behavior:  ↑FV ↓SSB  ↓ED

9. Develop a Memorandum of Understanding and maintain an ongoing forum for interagency collaboration to improve community nutrition environments.
Who;  MT Department of Agriculture, MT Department of Public Health and Human Services, MT Office of Public Instruction, MT Food Systems Council
Behavior:  ↑FV ↓SSB  ↓ED

10. Draft a user-friendly interpretation of laws and regulations related to food safety, food production, processing, wholesaling, retailing, low-income food assistance, and public food procurement that state agencies promulgate, administer, and/or enforce, including the Montana Departments of Health, Agriculture, Livestock, Commerce, OPI, Corrections.
Who:  MT Department of Agriculture
Behavior:  ↑FV

11. Sponsor a statewide conference on food law.
Who: Department of Agriculture, University of Montana School of Law
Behavior:  ↑FV ↓SSB  ↓ED

12. Create a mechanism for compiling and sharing information collected through food access points mapping projects, including on reservations and in frontier communities.
Who:  NAPA, Montana Food Systems Council, MT Department of Agriculture
Behaviors:  ↑FV

13. Continue providing nutrition education to SNAP-eligible participants.
Who:  Montana State University Extension Services
Behavior: ↑FV ↓SSB  ↓ED

14. Assess the feasibility of partnering with the Field Trip Factory or others to provide nutrition education and grocery store tours to pre-school and school-aged children and their teachers.
Who:  NAPA
Behavior: ↑FV ↓SSB  ↓ED

15. Collaborate with university-based and college-based programs such as the University of Montana Food and Society Program and others to disseminate information regarding such college-based projects to university and college staff and students and to others as appropriate.
Who:  Rural Health Initiative, others
Behavior: ↑FV ↓SSB  ↓ED

16. Provide funding and technical assistance to support the establishment of gardens at schools, early childhood education and care facilities, senior centers, worksites, and other community settings.
Who:  Grow Montana, AERO, others
Behavior: ↑FV

17. Assess the feasibility of partnering with the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations and other reservation-based programs to provide or expand cooking classes and other educational activities.
Who:  NAPA
Behavior: ↑FV ↓SSB  ↓ED

18. Provide mini-grants up to a combined total of $5,000 to support the initiation of one or more Five Year Goals (below).
Who:  NAPA
Behavior: ↑FV ↓SSB  ↓ED

 

Five Year Goals:

By 12/16:

1. Explore the feasibility of piloting at least one facility that will minimally process local food to supply schools and other institutions.
Who: Department of Agriculture
Behavior  ↑FV

2. Increase the number of Community Supported Agriculture gardens in Montana, including on reservations. 
Who: Montana State University Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems Program and collaborating faculty
Behavior  ↑FV

3. Increase the number of students studying Montana agriculture, food and energy by: 

  • Increasing number of courses in the MSU Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems program after year 1 by 4.
  • Increasing enrollment in existing food and agriculture courses by 30%
  • Adding 20 student majors/year after year 1; with goal of 100 majors by end the 4th year, when first class graduates.
  • Increasing the number of students involved in Towne's Harvest Garden at MSU by 20% per year. 

Who: Montana State University Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems
Behavior  ↑FV

4. Apply for funding from the Centers for Disease Control, and possibly from other sources, to support one or more of the following:

    • Explore the feasibility of unique delivery strategies for healthy and affordable foods (such as mobile markets).
    • Develop consistent messages about recommendation of what to consumer so we are all saying the same thing.

Who:  NAPA
Behavior: ↑FV ↓SSB  ↓ED

5. Explore the feasibility of developing a project to address rural Montana’s need for grocery stores (as opposed to convenience stores) in food deserts, both to maintain the existence of current stores in rural areas and to bring stores to rural areas currently without a real grocery store. Strategies to be considered should include applying for federal funds targeted toward such projects as well as developing local solutions such as establishing cooperative purchasing among grocers to increase the dollar amount of their order above the distributor thresholds that enable them to expand their offerings and have better fresh fruit and vegetables.
Who:  To be determined
Behavior: ↑FV