Food Systems & Nutrition

Factors sustaining a nutritious and healthy diet based on how food is produced, processed, sold, marketed and consumed.

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Projects

• Washington State Food System Assessment

  To respond to sustained high rates of food insecurity, food supply chain disruptions, and disproportionate impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the State of Washington via the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has asked the University of Washington to conduct an assessment of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks affecting Washington’s food system, with...

  Project Lead/PI: Jennifer Otten

  Research Area(s): Food Access, Food Systems & Nutrition

• Assessing Resilience in Washington Agriculture: Impacts of COVID-19 on Farms and Ranches

  Through interviews and surveys of farmers, ranchers, agricultural service providers, and other stakeholders, the project team is seeking to better understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on farms and ranches in Washington State, and the capacity of farm businesses to adapt to the disruption. Key to understanding these dynamics is the online WA Farm...

  Project Lead/PI: Sarah Collier

  Research Area(s): Food Systems & Nutrition

• WAFOOD: Examining the Impacts of COVID-19 and related factors on Food Systems, Food Security, and Food Access in Washington State

  The Washington State (WA) Food Security Surveys (WAFOOD) first launched as an effort to track impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health, economic well-being, and food needs of Washingtonians.  As the COVID-19 pandemic continued, WAFOOD survey waves continued to track the economic well-being, food access, and food needs of Washingtonians in response to swift...

  Project Lead/PI: Jennifer Otten Adam Drewnowski

  Research Area(s): Food Access, Food Systems & Nutrition

• Identifying Direct Market Opportunities and Challenges for King County Farms

  Small farm businesses have found profit in direct-to-market sales, but often find that they need better marketing and promotion support in order to sustain and amplify that profit. King Conservation District (KCD) and key stakeholders identified direct marketing support for farmers as a 2018 strategic initiative area for investment and contracted with the University of...

  Project Lead/PI: Jennifer Otten

  Research Area(s): Food Systems & Nutrition

• Fish, health, and vulnerable populations: Exploring the Potential for Policy and Diet Solutions

  On the US West Coast, rich and underutilized fishery resources exist alongside low income, nutritionally vulnerable populations. This pilot project aimed to examine the potential scope and mechanisms for improved utilization of available seafood to improve diets and reduce incidence of non-communicable disease burdens in poor and marginalized US coastal communities. It had the following...

  Project Lead/PI: Jennifer Otten

  Research Area(s): Food Access, Food Systems & Nutrition, Global Nutrition, Social Determinants of Health

• Livable City Year

  Livable City Year works with cities, counties, tribes and special districts of all sizes and budgets. Our partnerships can have a broad range of timelines and scopes based on community needs. Hundreds of students benefit by tackling real-world challenges. Partner cities benefit from bold and applied ideas that propel fresh thinking, improve livability for residents,...

  Project Lead/PI: Jennifer Otten

  Research Area(s): Food Systems & Nutrition

• Seattle Obesity Study I: Food Environment, Diet Quality & Disparities in Obesity

  Develop ways to offer dietary advice that takes food preferences, usual eating habits, and financial limitations into account. Helping low-income consumers obtain high-quality diets at an affordable cost may be the key strategy for stemming the obesity epidemic among the disadvantaged groups.

  Project Lead/PI: Adam Drewnowski

  Research Area(s): Food Systems & Nutrition, Social Determinants of Health

Recently Added Resources

• WAFOOD Brief 16 – Food Security and Food Assistance in the Wake of COVID-19: A 5th Survey (2024) of Washington State Households

  Published February 13, 2025, this brief focuses on findings from WAFOOD5 (August-October 2024) and examines changes in food insecurity and food assistance in Washington State households as Washingtonians continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and high inflation persists. WAFOOD5 was available to be taken in English, Korean, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Somali, Tagalog, Ukrainian,...

  Research Area(s): Food Access, Food Systems & Nutrition

• NW Tribal Food Sovereignty Survey Report – Food Security, Food Access, and Traditional Foods across Northwest Tribal Communities in the Wake of COVID-19

  Published June 24, 2024, this report shares findings from the NW Tribal Food Sovereignty Survey, the second wave research from a joint project between the Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center (NWTEC), a division of the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, and the University of Washington Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health team that aims to better...

  Research Area(s): Food Access, Food Systems & Nutrition, Social Determinants of Health

• WAFOOD Brief 15 – Washington State Food Security Surveys: Longitudinal findings across survey waves 1-4, 2020-2023

  Published August 3, 2023, this research brief presents longitudinal findings from WAFOOD Waves 1-4 (June 2020-January 2023), focusing on a subset of 223 respondents who participated in all four waves.  Initial Findings In a longitudinal cohort of 223 respondents who participated in WAFOOD Waves 1, 2, 3, and 4, nearly half of respondents’ households experienced...

  Research Area(s): Food Access, Food Systems & Nutrition