Nutrition Without Border’s latest event, “The Intersections of Food Law and Public Health,” took place on Zoom on Thursday, October 28th at 7pm. Our guest speaker was Julia McCarthy, Senior Program Officer at the New York Health Foundation.
Julia and our members discussed the importance of WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children) and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) for population health, targeted marketing tactics and legal loopholes used by food and beverage companies, and her food policy career path.
She highlighted the importance of SNAP in addressing hunger and non-communicable diseases including diabetes, hypertension, and heart diseases. SNAP aims to reduce food insecurity among low-income people and ensure farmers’ financial success 一 often goals that are at odds with each other if we want folks to have access to healthy food. Because most food that is subsidized by the government and grown in large, affordable quantities (e.g. wheat, corn) is used to produce unhealthy products, those products often dominate in SNAP participants’ food environments. Julia shed some light on the ongoing conversation of whether or not SNAP participants should have limitations on what they can purchase with their benefit dollars. Some argue items like soda or chips should be disallowed, but in areas of food apartheid and food insecurity, those items are often the only affordable choice. Limiting purchases may also exclude cultural foods and reinforce a white-washed version of “health,” and decrease individuals’ sense of autonomy.
While SNAP targets hunger, WIC is targeting mother and child nutrition. Therefore, only certain items approved by nutrition professionals can be purchased with WIC benefits. WIC used to use vouchers that could be used to purchase specific items. These vouchers protected users against rising grocery costs, but are cumbersome and difficult to navigate 一 especially for those who are not fluent in English.
Unlike SNAP, WIC has been proven to improve the overall diet quality of mothers and infants. WIC’s prescribed foods like vegetables and fruits that support dietary diversity. Beneficiaries cannot use the benefits to purchase ultra-processed foods or sugar-sweetened beverages.
Several barriers to enrollment in these programs exist in New York: undocumented folks are excluded and many legal immigrants fear political retaliation for participating. People experiencing homelessness, without cooking supplies or access to refrigeration are not able to take advantage of the program. And finally, the income threshold is such that if beneficiaries make slightly more money 一 think a $0.50 raise or being granted full-time hours 一 they experience an even greater hardship than before because they disqualify from benefits. Being “time poor” in general is a barrier to healthy eating: people who work hourly or have inconsistent schedules may not be able to manage meal plans, shopping, budgeting, and cooking. Fresh food delivery was discussed as a potential option to deliver healthy foods in areas with poor access, but short shelf life, and the necessity of a family member at home to receive the package are some inevitable challenges.
Julia also expressed the negative impact of food and beverage company marketing specifically to marginalized communities (who are at greater risk of nutrition-related diseases due to racism, low socioeconomic status, and high levels of allostatic stress) and children. She discussed with our members the idea of “corporate personhood”, and how the First Amendment is being used to allow food companies to continue aggressively marketing their products. We provided members with the link to a webinar and a two-pager from the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, if they are interested in learning more about targeted marketing.
Lastly, Julia reminded members that food policy and food law career paths are not limited to law students. She says that strong writing and public speaking skills, and analytical ability, serve her well in the field. Our members loved speaking to and learning from Julia, and we look forward to our next event!
Comments