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Washington state food assessment report: How the pandemic has affected food access
December 14, 2021 | Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
New UW study commissioned by the Washington State Department of Agriculture shows the pandemic’s strain on Washington’s food access and food production systems. This DEOHS blog post highlights the team’s findings.
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For many King County families, food aid ‘not nearly enough’ as need spikes in pandemic
June 27, 2021 | The Seattle Times
Food bank staff and public health officials predict it will take households several years to recover from food insecurity made worse by the economic instability of the pandemic. Ongoing research led by the UW Center for Public Health Nutrition in partnership with Washington State University and Tacoma Community College is highlighted.
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You waste more than $1,000 of food a year. Chew on that
March 23, 2021 | Los Angeles Times
Marie Spiker speaks with the Los Angeles Times about global food waste and new data published in the Food Waste Index for 2021 by the UN Environment Programme which assesses that the world wastes 1 billion tons of food each year.
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How the UW food pantry has adapted to rising food insecurity in the state
February 16, 2021 | The Daily
The Daily highlights how the UW Food Pantry is adapting to address food insecurity, and what UW Nutritional Sciences Program researchers involved in the WAFOOD survey have assessed thus far about state-wide food insecurity trends during the pandemic.
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Michelle Obama is continuing her mission with a Netflix children’s show, ‘Waffles + Mochi’
February 9, 2021 | Upworthy
Former first lady Michelle Obama to expand the work she started with her “Let’s Move” campaign which helps kids eat better and live healthy lives. A UW study published this year in JAMA by Nutritional Sciences Program researchers is noted. The study authors include senior study author Jessica Jones-Smith, Kelsey Kinderknecht, and Cristen Harris. The researchers found evidence that the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act that Obama championed had a positive impact for students who participated.
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Allen Family Foundation boosts COVID-19-related funding for hard-hit areas in Washington State
January 25, 2021 | The Seattle Times
UW Center for Public Health Nutrition research receives gift from Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, supporting the Washington State Food Security (WAFOOD) Survey, a project studying impacts of COVID-19 on food access and nutrition in Washington State.
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New COVID-19 Grants to Boost Efforts Toward Economic and Social Relief
January 25, 2021 | Paul G. Allen Family Foundation
Paul G. Allen Family Foundation announces $1.4 million in emergency funding focused on getting the state’s underserved populations the food, child care, and stability they need most during this time. The gift includes direct support to the collaborative research by UW, WSU, and Tacoma Community College on food access in Washington State due to COVID-19.
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The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation Continues Support for Vulnerable Communities During COVID-19
January 25, 2021 | PR Newswire
New support will boost efforts toward economic and social relief to those experiencing disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the University of Washington WAFOOD survey.
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Washington researchers start second round of food security surveys amid coronavirus pandemic
December 22, 2020 | Seattle P-I
Jennifer Otten is quoted in this story that highlights wave 2 of the Washington Food Security Survey which monitors the continuing impact of the pandemic on economic- and food-related wellbeing, eight months after the initial lockdown in the state.
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Need for free food in Washington state has doubled, many groups report, as COVID-19 rips away jobs and security
January 2, 2021 | The Seattle Times
Every level of the food distribution chain in the state of Washington has been challenged since the pandemic began, and this article illustrates how different food assistance organizations are faring. The WAFOOD survey and study from researchers in the UW Center for Public Health Nutrition, WSU and Tacoma Community College are mentioned, and how the study aims to understand nuances of this food insecurity crisis.
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