Research & Practice
Reevaluating Food Ranking Systems and Developing Culturally Responsive Nutrition Education for the Latinx Community in Burien, WA: Strategic Initiatives of Alimentando al Pueblo
Alimentando al Pueblo (AAP) is a Latinx-founded and led community-building organization in Burien, WA, and the only Latinx food bank in the country to provide culturally relevant foods. The student worked with AAP to develop a comprehensive nutrition strategy and food ranking system (FRS).
FRS help food banks make informed purchasing decisions, assess the nutritional quality of items, monitor nutrition policies, and educate partners on selecting more nutritious options when ordering food from food banks. FRS were not designed with Latinx communities or their cultural foodways in mind, however, and are used by food banks whose inventories differ significantly from that of AAP’s. Latinx cultural foods have traditionally been mischaracterized within nutrition discourse and media, hence the need for a more personalized FRS.
Deliverables for this project included a two-part literature review on the representation of Latinx foods in nutrition/public health and the strengths and limitations of the three main FRS currently used. They also summarized key findings from the 2024 AAP/Your Latina Nutrition (YLN) Best Practices Report on Latinx food preferences and gave a presentation (in Spanish) for AAP staff members on nutrition and chronic disease management, using insights gathered from the 2025 AAP Staff Survey. Finally, the student provided recommendations AAP can use to develop their own food ranking system for their food inventory.
Materials Available
Project Type(s): MPH Practicum, PH Concentration Poster
Author(s): Paulina Nunez Esquivel
Program(s): Master of Public Health, RDN Training
Year: 2025
Adviser(s):