A Dialogue to create Culturally Sensitive Food Policy

Mid-South NetworkSouthwest Rural Policy Network

What is Culturally Sensitive Food Policy?

Food Policy that recognizes and is conscious of the role culture-of-origin plays with regard to the foods we eat, where our food comes from, how we harvest it, the manner in which we prepare our foods and certain traditions around the way in which we share and consume our cultural foods.

Birthplaceof this project

Recognizing that although the project partners come from several different cultures and different regions throughout the US, our communities suffer disproportionately from obesity and diabetes, ‘dia-besity’.

Members of Mid-south and Southwest Rural Policy Network joined to conduct a cross-region, multi-culture, intergenerational dialogue via SKYPE.

Purpose of our Dialogue• Engage in a rich conversation sharing our farming and food

stories, sharing our culture, and sharing our food-based traditions

• Determine the positive and negative impacts of food policy on healthy food choices from a cultural perspective

• Explore the impact food policy has via discussion of the history and traditions of our food

• Teach community members how to become advocates for culturally sensitive food policy

• Test an online technology for future use in community dialoging and community organizing

Where are we from?What cultural perspective do

we represent?Our Dialogue brings together great diversity in culture and in location.

Participants in this project will come from:

• Ajo, Arizona ~ The Sonoran Desert regionRepresented will be members of the Native America Tohono O’odham Nation and the Mexican culture

• Nogales, Arizona ~ A U.S. – Mexico border communityRepresented will be the Mexican culture

• Gallup, New Mexico ~ A U.S. – Navaho Nation border community Represented will be members of the Native America Navajo Nation

• The Mississippi Delta communities of Greenville and IndianolaRepresented will be the African America culture

What are our common issues?

• Food Deserts• Major health disparities• Access to healthy food choices• Inconsistency in local food chains• Lack of education about “healthy” food• A generational change in food traditions

Food Deserts

Definition: A food desert is a district with little or no access to large grocery stores that offer fresh and affordable foods needed to maintain a healthy diet.[1] Instead of such stores, these districts often contain many fast food restaurants and convenience stores.www.ers.usda.gov

With the exception of Nogales, AZ with serves as a port of entry for fruits and vegetables coming into the US from Mexico, participants in this project live in food deserts.

Farmers’ MarketsA remedy for food deserts

A time-honored way to shop for fresh food

Farmers’ Markets

Accept SNAP benefits

Are the source for fresh, local-grown and produced fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, breads, jams, and other food-based products and crafts

Are the source and keepers of land-based knowledge, tradition and culture

Major and Common Health DisparitiesFound cross-region in our various communities

ObesityDiabetesCancer

Heart DiseaseMental Health

Infant MortalityHIV/AIDS

Limited access to healthy food choices

while unhealthy food options abound

Inconsistency in the food offered by

local food chains

Local supermarkets provide better quality foods in the higher economic areas of the same community. Food offered in lower

income communities are of the “pick 5” variety.

Signature Pick 5The Signature Foods group of companies started with a simple vision: to make QUALITY food

AFFORDABLE for the American Consumer.

The company states:From our humble beginnings in 2004 to being listed by "Inc." Magazine as the #2 fastest growing Food Company in America our principles have remained the same. Bring the best to your table for less!

With Signature Pick 5, you can choose from over 50 items selected with you in mind.

We work hard to find the best value in Quality meats and vegetables and package them in our very own USDA and FDA approved facility to bring the highest quality food for the lowest possible cost straight to your Grocer's freezer.

QUESTION: Does the consumer have the health education needed to know how to mix and match the foods, nutritionally?

Lack of education about “healthy” food choices

SNAP recipients control the funds yet many are not tuned-in to making healthy food choices with the funds they receive.

Such education is not provided…

Education on Healthy Food Choices

A generational change in food traditions…

Changes in the concept of where our food comes from…

Changes in how our food is prepared

A new definition of our Traditional foods

What next?This project is just the beginning!

Project Partners will continue our work on this effort. Ideas discussed include:

•Creating a recipe book to collect and document our traditional food dishes

•Creating radio PSA’s to outreach and education on the issue of culture-based food policy

•Creating a YouTube channel where video collected during the Dialogue will be posted

•Seeking out and collaborating with allies including the ‘Get Moving’ campaign

•Creating a list of resources

•Distributing far and wide, the advocacy toolkit to be created from this project

The SWRPN website will be the online place where this project and all documents created will reside

We will seek additional funding to continue our work

A Dialogue to create Culturally Sensitive Food Policy

Scheduled for June 1st

For additional information contact:

Angelic Mister at: amister@sdrha.com or

Mikki Anaya at: coord@swruralpolicynetwork.org