Establish and support land that is gardened or cultivated by community members via community land trusts, gardening education, zoning regulation changes, or service provision (e.g., water or waste disposal)
Policies & Programs
Policies and programs that can improve health
filtered by "Diet and Exercise", "Nonprofits", and "Increase access to healthy food options"
19 results
Community kitchens for food processing
Establish shared kitchen spaces that support licensed, commercial food processing and connect specialty food processors, farmers, and others who produce value-added goods
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Community kitchens for nutrition education
Use existing kitchen spaces for community members to share knowledge, resources, and labor to prepare, cook, and consume food, often with nutrition education provided for participants experiencing food insecurity
Evidence Rating:
Insufficient Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Community supported agriculture (CSA)
Establish partnerships between farmers and consumers in which consumers purchase a share of a farm’s products in advance
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Food buying clubs & co-ops
Offer opportunities for group purchase and distribution of selected grocery items, generally at a reduced price
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Food hubs
Support businesses or organizations that aggregate, distribute, and market local and regional food products (e.g., fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy, grains, and prepared items)
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Fruit & vegetable gleaning initiatives
Gather food left in fields after a primary harvest, food in fields where harvesting is not profitable, or excess produce from orchards, packing houses, urban agriculture sites, etc.
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Fruit & vegetable incentive programs
Offer low-income participants matching funds to purchase healthy foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables; often called bonus dollars, market bucks, produce coupons, or nutrition incentives
Evidence Rating:
Scientifically Supported
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Fruit & vegetable taste testing
Offer samples of fresh fruits and vegetables in cafeterias, nutrition classes, school gardens, or workplace well-being meetings, often as part of a multi-faceted nutrition intervention
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Healthy food in convenience stores
Encourage convenience stores, corner stores, or gas station markets to carry fresh produce and other healthier food options
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Healthy food initiatives in food banks
Combine hunger relief efforts with nutrition information and healthy eating opportunities, often with on-site cooking demonstrations, recipe tastings, produce display stands, etc.
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Healthy foods at catered events
Provide more fresh fruits and vegetables, smaller portions, low fat, and reduced sodium or reduced sugar food options and other healthy foods at catered events
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Healthy school lunch initiatives
Modify the school lunch food environment by prominently displaying, marketing, and increasing the convenience of healthy foods and providing healthy options
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Healthy vending machine options
Increase healthy options in vending machines by reducing the price of healthy choices, increasing the number of healthy choices compared to unhealthy choices, etc.
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Land banking
Acquire, hold, manage, and develop properties such as vacant lots, abandoned buildings, or foreclosures, and transition them to productive uses, often affordable housing developments.
Evidence Rating:
Some Evidence
Health Factor(s):
Housing and Transit, Diet and Exercise
Mobile markets
Support fresh food carts or vehicles that travel to neighborhoods on a set schedule to sell fresh fruits and vegetables
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
New grocery stores in underserved areas
Attract new grocery stores that sell a variety of fresh foods, baked goods, packaged, and frozen items to underserved areas via financing initiatives or zoning regulation
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Urban agriculture
Support food-producing and income-earning activities in urban environments (e.g., edible landscapes, front yard or rooftop gardens, window farming, hydroponics, livestock, etc.)
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise
Zoning regulations for chickens and bees
Allow residents to keep chickens and bees within city or municipality limits
Evidence Rating:
Expert Opinion
Health Factor(s):
Diet and Exercise