Reporting from the field, it’s notable how in 2020, Healthy Eating Research (HER) introduced nutrition guidelines that were crafted with the explicit intent of being easily adoptable by food banks. Their aspiration was to see these guidelines embraced by members of Feeding America within a span of five years. This vision is gradually turning into reality.

Remarkably, as per the data accumulated by More Than Food Consulting, which drew from sources like Feeding America’s Network Activity Report and Partnership for a Healthier America, an impressive tally of 101 food banks across the nation have already started implementing the HER guidelines.

The levels of adoption, however, vary among these food banks. According to a survey conducted by Feeding America in May, out of 85 food banks that responded, 61% are actively employing the guidelines, while another 24% are in the process of planning their implementation. A significant trend noted is that the majority of these food banks (59%) are using the guidelines primarily to categorize their food inventory. This unified approach is pivotal in establishing a more consistent understanding of what constitutes nutritious food across different food banks.

Prior to this, there was no shortage of diverse nutrition ranking systems and methodologies, which often led to discrepancies in defining healthy food. For instance, Feeding America’s “Foods to Encourage” (F2E) system was more binary, categorizing foods simply as ‘yes’ or ‘no’, whereas the “Supporting Wellness at Pantries” (SWAP) employed a tiered system.

In alignment mostly with SWAP, the HER guidelines classify foods based on their content of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars, and then place them in either green, yellow, or red categories. While categorizing certain items like fresh produce (consistently green) is straightforward, the process becomes more complex with items like donated cans, a probable reason why only 22% of food banks have managed to categorize over 76% of their inventory so far.

Besides inventory ranking, food banks are also using the HER guidelines for other purposes, such as setting goals for acquiring nutritious food, making sourcing decisions, and establishing nutrition policies. However, less focus is placed on using these guidelines to guide financial or food donors.

The report by More Than Food Consulting underscores that while many food banks are still in the planning stages of these activities, this phase represents a “critical juncture” in the application of the guidelines. There’s evident momentum building up in this sector.

An area ripe for growth, as identified in the report, is supporting partner agencies in applying these guidelines. While a fair percentage of food banks communicate with their agencies about the guidelines and offer training, most do not provide incentives like discounts or grants for acquiring healthier food options, pointing to potential avenues for further development. – Chris Costanzo

Stay tuned for more insights like this.