Category Archives: Public Health News

Walmart to Sell Healthier Foods for Less

Posted on January 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

On January 20th, the nation’s largest grocer made a pledge to sell healthier foods for more affordable prices. Walmart made the announcement with First Lady, Michelle Obama, who is an advocate for obesity prevention efforts nationwide. 

The five main components of the plan are: 

  1. Reformulating thousands of everyday packaged food items by 2015 by reducing sodium 25 percent and added sugars 10 percent, and by removing all remaining industrially produced trans fats.
  2. Making healthier choices more affordable, saving customers approximately $1 billion per year on fresh fruits and vegetables through a variety of sourcing, pricing, and transportation and logistics initiatives that will drive unnecessary costs out of the supply chain.
  3. Developing strong criteria for a simple front-of-package seal that will help consumers instantly identify truly healthier food options such as whole grain cereal, whole wheat pasta or unsweetened canned fruit;
  4. Providing solutions to address food deserts by building stores in underserved communities that are in need of fresh and affordable groceries; and
  5. Increasing charitable support for nutrition programs that help educate consumers about healthier food solutions and choices. 

Bill Simon, Walmart CEO and president says, “No family should have to choose between food that is healthier for them and food they can afford.” 

Due to its size and buying power, Walmart has the ability to make a difference in the way suppliers produce food. Walmart will change the way key products of its Great Value private brand are made and work with other companies to reformulate national brands. The goal is to reduce sodium, sugar, and trans fats intake by Americans. In addition, Walmart plans to deal more directly with farmers and reduce or eliminate higher prices for healthier options such as reduced fat on products by the same company. This will result in healthier options for lower prices. 

Walmart believes that with all the changes it has planned, it can save Americans up to one billion per year on fresh fruits and vegetables. 

To view the Walmart press release which provided information for this post, please go to http://walmartstores.com/pressroom/news/10514.aspx.

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Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010

Posted on December 7, 2010 | Leave a comment

chicken wrap bentoOn December 2, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.  Having already been passed by the Senate, it is on its way to be signed into law by President Obama.  The federal Child Nutrition Programs are reviewed and updated every 5 years.  These programs include the School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), and the Special Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).  While the proposed changes to these programs will not go into effect until December 2012, some of the changes that might impact you, include:

  • The amount of money that schools are reimbursed by the federal government for school meals will increase, to allow for the purchase of healthier ingredients and options.
  • Application processes will be streamlined and in some cases eliminated to facilitate low-income students gaining access to free school lunches.
  • National nutrition standards that are consistent with other federal dietary guidelines will be established for school lunches.
  • The meal options offered in afterschool settings for low-income at-risk students will be expanded to include full meals, rather than just snacks.
  • Funding for schools’ procurement of local and regional foods and the establishment of school gardens will increase.

If you are interested in more information, summaries of the major content in this act can be found at: http://ag.senate.gov/site/legislation.html.

And, if you’d like to witness Elmo learning about it, go to: http://www.letsmove.gov/blog/2010/12/15/elmo-visits-the-white-house-kitchen/

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State Teen Pregnancy Rates Decreasing

Posted on November 3, 2010 | Leave a comment

The North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics recently released state and county pregnancy data for 2009. Teen pregnancy is a public health concern locally and nationally, and this newly released data shows promising signs.  Among young women aged 15-19 in North Carolina, there were 18,142 pregnancies in 2009.  This adds up to 1,256 fewer pregnancies than in 2008, and 1,473 fewer than in 2007.  The teen pregnancy rate for the state in 2009 was 56 pregnancies for every 1,000 young women in North Carolina aged 15-19, down from 58.6 in 2008 and 63 in 2007.

Chatham County’s adolescent pregnancy rate is lower than the state’s and showed similar declines between 2007 and 2009. In 2009, the pregnancy rate for 15-19 year olds in Chatham County was 40 pregnancies for every 1000 young women.  This number is down from 48 in 2008, 65 in 2007.  Additionally, Chatham County’s pregnancy rate ranks favorably among other North Carolina counties.  When ranked from highest pregnancy rate to lowest, Chatham County ranks 88 out of 100.

The causes for these declines are not certain. In Chatham County, multiple organizations and initiatives do work to prevent teen pregnancy.  Within the Chatham County Public Health Department, there is the PEP Squad teen peer education program, and the Adolescent Parenting Program. Among community non-profits, Chatham County Together! implements the Hablando Claro or Plain Talk program which focuses its efforts in the Latino community in Siler City.

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CDC Chief Picks 6 “Winnable” Health Battles

Posted on October 21, 2010 | Leave a comment
CDC/ James Gathany, 2005

Dr. Thomas Frieden, chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has taken the bold step of declaring six national health priorities. Those six issues are:

  • Smoking,
  • AIDS,
  • Obesity/nutrition,
  • Teen pregnancy,
  • Auto injuries, and
  • Health care infections.

These  issues  are prevalent in the media and receive a lot of attention. Reaction has been mixed to Frieden’s decision in the public health community.  Some are concerned that diseases not on the list such as Hepatitis C will not receive the attention they deserve. The CDC says this is not the case. They are dedicated to other public health issues and will not walk away from them.

In the Wall Street Journal article, Frieden “calls his new short list “winnable battles” because, he says, proven programs can save lives and reduce harm from each of these health problems. He believes government can make dramatic improvements if available money and manpower are focused.”

For the full article, go to http://online.wsj.com/article/AP26e9d7d720fe4c21bb31a4386076da60.html?KEYWORDS=health

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Nationwide Recall of Shelled Eggs

Posted on August 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

Eggs in the CartonThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and multiple state and federal partners are currently investigating an increase in salmonella illnesses across the country.  The early investigation has traced the possible source to  Wright County Egg, in Galt, Iowa. The investigation is ongoing.

From the FDA press release:

On August 13, 2010, Wright County Egg of Galt, Iowa, conducted a nationwide voluntary recall of shell eggs that it had shipped since May 19, 2010 to food wholesalers, distribution centers and foodservice companies in California, Illinois, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. These companies distribute nationwide.
 
The recalled shell eggs are packaged under the following brand names: Lucerne, Albertson, Mountain Dairy, Ralph’s, Boomsma’s, Sunshine, Hillandale, Trafficanda, Farm Fresh, Shoreland, Lund, Dutch Farms and Kemps.
 
The FDA press release also advises consumers:
  • Don’t eat recalled eggs or products containing recalled eggs.
  • Keep shell eggs refrigerated at ≤45˚ F (≤7˚ C) at all times.    
  • Discard cracked or dirty eggs. 
  • Wash hands, cooking utensils, and food preparation surfaces with soap and water after contact with raw eggs.  
  • Do not keep eggs warm or at room temperature for more than 2 hours.   
  • Refrigerate unused or leftover egg- containing foods promptly.  
  • Avoid eating raw eggs.

For the full press release and additional advice, please go to http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WhatsNewinFood/ucm222684.htm

For more information on food safety and eggs, please go to:

http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/types/eggs/index.html

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm077342.htm

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