Supporting Food and Nutrition Security Through the Charitable Food System

Written by Kirsten Arm, MPH, RDN, Research Analyst, Healthy Eating Research During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people receiving charitable food assistance in the United States increased by 50% (2019 vs. 2020) according to estimates from Feeding America. The charitable food system – a network of food banks, food pantries, and meal programs – More

WIC Online Ordering in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Opportunities and Challenges

Written by Dr. Harry Zhang, Old Dominion University During the COVID-19 pandemic, online ordering surged in popularity as an alternative method of grocery shopping to reduce the risk of virus infection. But participants in the USDA Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) have historically not been able to participate in online More

New Report Provides Recommendations for Fostering Healthy Eating Habits in Young Children

Leading Nutrition Research Program Offers Best Practices that Promote Autonomy, Structure, and Repetition for Feeding Kids 2-8 (Durham, NC) October 20, 2021 — Autonomy, structure, and repetition are key to helping young children develop healthy eating habits according to new research-based recommendations that offer actionable tips for parents and caregivers on how to feed kids More

A Strategy to Improve SNAP Impact Through the Next Farm Bill

In July, Healthy Eating Research published a report entitled “Strengthening the Public Health Impacts of SNAP: Key Opportunities for the Next Farm Bill.” The report identified the evidence-based changes that have the greatest potential to improve SNAP participants’ nutrition and their overall health. On a new episode of The Leading Voices in Food podcast, HER’s More

Five Research Highlights from 2020

After an extraordinarily challenging year, we are incredibly proud of our grantees and research network for continuing to produce rigorous and timely research results, and adapting both to challenging circumstances and emerging research needs. In our latest newsletter we share five examples from 2020 we think are worth highlighting; though we must admit, it was More

COVID-19, Child Nutrition, and Food Security

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented public health crisis, with significant effects on the economy and communities, especially those facing economic, housing, and food insecurity. At Healthy Eating Research, we are working to track and provide research on the implications of the pandemic on food environments and systems that impact healthy eating opportunities for children More