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Rural Hunger and Access to Healthy Food – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Hunger and Access to Healthy Food.

Super Stores' Impact on the Availability of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Approved Stores
Examines the effect of new super stores on the survival of existing traditional stores and the cost savings accruing to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries. Features statistics including SNAP redemptions and share of redemptions by store type from 1992–2017, and impact of super store entry on the number of SNAP-approved stores with breakdowns by urban and rural areas.
Additional links: Executive Summary
Author(s): Michael Ollinger, Michele Ver Ploeg, Chris Dicken
Date: 06/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
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Rural Child Hunger Summit 2021: Collaborative Planning and Community Engagement Strategies
A recorded webinar that discusses strategies to end child hunger in rural areas, utilizing community-focused strategies, such as collaborative planning, meal delivery, food access in healthcare settings, sustainable planning, the intersection of race/ethnicity and food insecurity, and more.
Additional links: Collaborative Planning and Community Engagement Strategies to Address Rural Child Hunger - Slide Deck, Emerging Strategies in Food Access in Health Care Settings - Slide Deck, Fresh Ideas for Sustainable Programming in Rural Communities - Slide Deck, Inequity in Food Systems: The Impacts of Whiteness and COVID-19 on Food Insecurity, Spotlight on Emergency Meals-to-You: Reimaging Summer Meals in Rural Areas - Slide Deck
Author(s): Mia Medina, Michelle Troup, Evette Tovar-Lugo, Kathy Holt
Date: 04/2021
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Hunger and the Local Economy: Integrated State-Level Approaches to Food Access
Describes food insecurity challenges in rural America. Explores state policy options to improve food access such as food bucks, food procurement reforms, farm to school programs, cooperative development tax incentives, farmers markets, establishing food hubs, and supporting small grocers. Offers policy recommendations to increase access to healthy food and address food insecurity in rural communities.
Author(s): Nathan Beacom
Date: 04/2021
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Affairs
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A Randomized Controlled Trial Measuring Effects of Extra Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits on Child Food Security in Low-Income Families in Rural Kentucky
Results of a study to determine whether the Ticket to Healthy Food (TTHF) program would reduce child food insecurity among rural, low-income Kentucky households. Features statistics on 1,623 TTHF households, including demographics and food security status before and after the intervention.
Author(s): Gregory J. Chojnacki, Andrew G. Gothro, Philip M. Gleason, Sarah G. Forrestal
Citation: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 121(1), Supplement, S9-S21
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
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A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of a Home-Delivered Food Box on Food Security in Chickasaw Nation
Presents a study evaluating a free school meal program in 12 rural Oklahoma counties within the Chickasaw Nation from 2016 to 2018. Breaks down data by household income, children in household, and age of children, among other measures.
Author(s): Ronette R. Briefel, Gregory J. Chojnacki, Vivian Gabor, et al.
Citation: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 121(1), S46-S58
Date: 01/2021
Type: Document
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Lakewood Engage Tackles Food Insecurity in Rural Minnesota
Features a community-based program in rural Minnesota that addresses food insecurity through multiple initiatives, including distribution of fresh produce through a food "prescription" program, home delivery of meals to post-acute care patients and those in COVID-19 quarantine, and a farmers market.
Author(s): Kathryn Rutz
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 12/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Providing Menu and Shopping Toolkits to Improve Food Access and Security During a Pandemic
Describes menu and shopping list toolkits created by the University of Minnesota Extension to help consumers, rural grocery stores, and emergency food supply organizations achieve increased access to healthy food during emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, blizzards, or other situations in which people must shelter at home. Menus contain items commonly found in food pantries and small rural grocery stores.
Author(s): Kelly Kunkel, Abby Gold, Betsy Johnson
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 10(1), 257-260
Date: 09/2020
Type: Document
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The Complexities of Selling Fruits and Vegetables in Remote Navajo Nation Retail Outlets: Perspectives from Owners and Managers of Small Stores
Highlights an examination of access to fruit and vegetables in small rural stores across the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. Details a survey of several small stores scattered throughout the Navajo Nation and discusses the food options in these rural stores.
Author(s): Emily M. Piltch, Sonya S. Shin, Robert F. Houser, Timothy Griffin
Citation: Public Health Nutrition, 23(9), 1638-1646
Date: 06/2020
Type: Document
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The Impact of the Coronavirus on Local Food Insecurity
Investigates the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity in the United States by examining county- and state-level data on changes in food insecurity from 2018-2020. Highlights information from counties in rural areas.
Date: 05/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Feeding America
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Rapid Health Impact Assessment on USDA Proposed Changes to School Nutrition Standards
Highlights a study on the health implications of proposed changes to the United States Department of Agriculture's nutrition guidelines for school lunches. Compares changes to current guidelines and highlights the impact the changes would have for students of color and students in rural communities.
Date: 03/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Healthy Eating Research, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Last Updated: 9/23/2024