Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health
In the News
September 29, 2025
Seattle to launch first connected network of community food micro-pantries
FSNH faculty member Marie Spiker is involved in this pilot research project that will retrofit existing micro-pantries in Seattle with sensors to create a “cyber-physical” network. The system will anonymously track pantry use, donation patterns, and food safety, giving communities real-time data to improve food distribution and reduce waste. The project also aims to strengthen…
September 9, 2025
Some refined grains are surprisingly nutritious
Adam Drewnowski’s work in a recent study published in Nutrients that combined diet records with health markers such as weight, waist size, insulin levels, and food costs to identify foods which not only improved health, but were affordable. Drewnowski said, “Our evaluation took whole grain content into account, along with fiber, vitamins and minerals. By…
August 11, 2025
USDA freezes UW project that turns Washington shellfish farmers’ seaweed problem into soil solution for land farmers
The Blue Carbon, Green Fields project was a multi-year collaboration between the UW, Baywater Shellfish, Puget Sound Restoration Fund, Washington Sea Grant, Washington State University, and farm business incubator Viva Farms, focused on removing more than 17,000 pounds of seaweed from shellfish beds and applying it to crops on four local farms. The U.S. Department…
May 19, 2025
UW project took nuisance seaweed from shellfish farm to help growers. The USDA cut its funding
Seaweed is a problem for shellfish growers. One UW project hopes to turn the nuisance seaweed, like this one at Baywater Shellfish in Hood Canal, into nutrients for farm soil. In its first year, the team harvested nearly 17,000 pounds of wet seaweed. Project Director Sarah Collier says there was so much interest that they…
May 16, 2025
Understanding your food’s expiration dates and preventing waste
Anne Lund, registered dietitian and director of the Graduate Coordinated Program in Dietetics at UW, speaks with KIRO TV about food expiration dates. Lund advises that the expiration date is only part of the puzzle and some foods may expire before or after the date because it comes down to how the food was handled.
April 29, 2025
Navigating unhealthy food culture on college campuses
Michelle Averill is interviewed by a first year UW student and offers advice for healthy eating choices as a busy college student. She offers advice to think ahead and identify which food feel the most nourishing to you. This article appears in a series contribution by Washington youth through The Seattle Times Student Voices project.
February 25, 2025
Gobsmacked by groceries, Inflation inching higher for Washington consumers weary at the market
The Spokesman Review highlights both the national trends of food costs, as well as Washington state trends, pointing to a report released in February from the Washington State Food Security Surveys, showing that state residents continue to worry about food prices.
UW, WSU study shows WA residents struggling to pay for one particular monthly expense
This article by the Bellingham Herald highlights findings from the fifth edition of the Washington State Food Security Survey released on Feb. 13, revealing a potential rise in food insecurity in Washington.
Grocery prices are a top financial worry, WA residents say
The Seattle Times looks at the growing high cost of food for Washington households, citing a state-wide survey conducted by UW Food Systems researchers called WAFOOD. FSNH faculty member Marie Spiker is quoted, “Of all the indicators that we have of how are households doing financially, food insecurity is a really important one, because it…
January 8, 2025
Autumn 2024 marks highest demand in UW Food Pantry history
UW Food Pantry donations for fall quarter of 2024 included 12% of donations from food drives, 11% from individual donations, and 15 to 20% came from on-campus dining facilities. Through work conducted by student capstone teams in winter 2024, the Pantry gleans unused food from UW in order to increase sustainability in providing resources to…
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