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Introduction: Food policy councils (FPCs) are frequently used to facilitate change in food systems at the local, state, and regional levels, or in tribal nations. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of food policy councils and similar coalitions among US municipalities and their associations with healthy food access policies., Methods: We used data from the 2021 National Survey of Community-Based Policy and Environmental Supports for Healthy Eating and Active Living, administered to municipal officials from May through September 2021. We used logistic regression models to examine associations between 1) having an FPC and 2) FPC membership composition and healthy food access policies. We grouped policies into 4 categories based on topic modules in the survey instrument: supporting new or existing food stores to sell healthy foods, financial or electronic benefits transfer (EBT) supports, transportation-related supports for accessing locations to purchase food, and consideration of local food supports in community planning., Results: Municipalities with FPCs (27.6%) had significantly higher odds than municipalities without FPCs of having policies supporting access to food retail stores (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.5; 95% CI, 1.2-1.9), access to farmers markets (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.7-2.7), access to transportation supports (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI, 1.8-2.8), and objectives in community planning documents (AOR = 2.0; 95% CI, 1.6-2.5). Among municipalities with FPCs, those with a health/public health representative (42.1%) or a community representative (65.1%) were more likely to report having any healthy food access policies., Conclusion: This study emphasized the positive association between FPCs and healthy food access policies. This study also highlights the potential importance of FPC membership composition, including health/public health and community representatives.

Food policy councils (FPCs) are one form of community coalition that aims to address challenges to local food systems and enhance availability, accessibility, and affordability of healthy foods for local residents. We used data from the 2014 National Survey of Community-Based Policy and Environmental Supports for Healthy Eating and Active Living, a nationally representative survey of US municipalities ( n = 2029), to examine the prevalence of FPCs and cross-sectional associations between FPCs and four types of supports for healthy food access (approaches to help food stores, practices to support farmers markets, transportation-related supports, and community planning documents). Overall, 7.7% of municipalities reported having a local or regional FPC. FPCs were more commonly reported among larger municipalities with ≥50,000 people (29.2%, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 21.6, 36.8) and western region municipalities (13.2%, 95% CI: 9.6, 16.8). After multivariable adjustment, municipalities with FPCs had significantly higher odds of having all four types of supports, compared to those without FPCs (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) range: 2.4-3.4). Among municipalities with FPCs ( n = 156), 41% reported having a local government employee or elected official as a member, and 46% had a designated health or public health representative. Although FPCs were uncommon, municipalities that reported having a local or regional FPC were more likely to report having supports for healthy food access for their residents.

Despite 2 decades of effort by the public health community to combat obesity, obesity rates in the United States continue to rise. This lack of progress raises fundamental questions about the adequacy of our current approaches. Although the causes of population-wide obesity are multifactorial, attention to food systems as potential drivers of obesity has been prominent. However, the relationships between broader food systems and obesity are not always well understood. Our efforts to address obesity can be advanced and improved by the use of systems approaches that consider outcomes of the interconnected global food system, including undernutrition, climate change, the environmental sustainability of agriculture, and other social and economic concerns. By implementing innovative local and state programs, taking new approaches to overcome political obstacles to effect policy, and reconceptualizing research needs, we can improve obesity prevention efforts that target the food systems, maximize positive outcomes, and minimize adverse consequences. We recommend strengthening innovative local policies and programs, particularly those that involve community members in identifying problems and potential solutions and that embrace a broad set of goals beyond making eating patterns healthier. We also recommend undertaking interdisciplinary research projects that go beyond testing targeted interventions in specific populations and aim to build an understanding of the broader social, political, and economic context.

Objective: To evaluate a multifaceted supermarket intervention promoting healthier alternatives to commonly purchased foods., Design: Sales of 385 foods promoted between July and October, 2012 in the Eat Right-Live Well! intervention supermarket were compared with sales in a control supermarket., Setting: Two supermarkets in geographically separate, low-income, urban neighborhoods., Participants: One control and 1 intervention supermarket., Intervention: Product labeling, employee training, community outreach, and in-store promotions, including taste tests., Main Outcome Measures: Number of items sold; absolute and percent differences in sales., Analysis: Difference-in-difference analyses compared absolute and percent changes between stores and over time within stores. Sub-analyses examined taste-tested items and specific food categories, and promoted items labeled with high fidelity., Results: Comparing pre- and postintervention periods, within-store difference-in-differences for promoted products in the intervention store (25,776 items; 23.1%) was more favorable than the control (9,429 items; 6.6%). The decrease in taste-tested items' sales was smaller in the intervention store (946 items; 5.5%) than the control store (14,666 items; 26.6%). Increased sales of foods labeled with high fidelity were greater in the intervention store (25,414 items; 28.0%) than the control store (7,306 items; 6.3%)., Conclusions and Implications: Store-based interventions, particularly high-fidelity labeling, can increase promoted food sales., (Copyright © 2016 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Supermarket-based interventions are one approach to improving the local food environment and reducing obesity and chronic disease in low-income populations. We implemented a multicomponent intervention that aimed to reduce environmental barriers to healthy food purchasing in a supermarket in Southwest Baltimore. The intervention, Eat Right-Live Well! used: shelf labels and in-store displays promoting healthy foods, sales and promotions on healthy foods, in-store taste tests, increasing healthy food products, community outreach events to promote the intervention, and employee training. We evaluated program implementation through store environment, taste test session, and community event evaluation forms as well as an Employee Impact Questionnaire. The stocking, labeling, and advertising of promoted foods were implemented with high and moderate fidelity. Taste test sessions were implemented with moderate reach and low dose. Community outreach events were implemented with high reach and dose. Supermarket employee training had no significant impact on employees' knowledge, self-efficacy, or behavioral intention for helping customers with healthy purchasing or related topics of nutrition and food safety. In summary, components of this intervention to promote healthy eating were implemented with varying success within a large supermarket. Greater participation from management and employees could improve implementation., (© 2015 Society for Public Health Education.)

As cities across the nation seek to improve healthy food access, this participant observer case study highlights how one midsized city successfully developed a collaborative infrastructure to understand and address inequity in healthy food access. We trace the genesis and evolution of Baltimore's Food Policy Task Force, the hiring of a food policy director, and the establishment of the Baltimore Food Policy Initiative, which is an intergovernmental partnership to increase access to healthy, affordable foods in urban food deserts. While some cities have approached food access issues through community coalitions pressuring city government or government edicts, Baltimore successfully identified its need, used available research to drive and inform action, established priorities, and acted expeditiously with a focus on sustainability. This case study is relevant and applicable for those seeking to influence change in local food policy in midsized urban settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]