Offering Sliced Apples at SeaHawk Games

At the Seattle Seahawk's’ first pre-season game with the Dallas Cowboys on August 12, 2006, Qwest Field concessions offered a new food product.

AppleSweets™, a fresh, sliced apple served in a 6 oz. clam shell package made its debut, thanks to a public-private partnership inspired through involvement of the food industry in the Washington Access to Healthy Foods Coalition.

Up to 200 fans who purchased this product and gave feedback will have the opportunity to test other healthy food products that may be offered in the near future, such as organic apples with wild berry, caramel or mango natural flavors added.

Skip Johnson, of Get Fit Foods in Wenatchee and a member of the Access to Healthy Foods Coalition, says that his company will soon offer healthier foods in universities, coffee shops and movie theatres.

Target Audience: Washington residents who are seeking healthy food choices in popular venues

Evaluation: Consumers will be able to go to advertised web sites and comment on their interest in having more of such products made available, and their willingness to continue to choose healthy food products. Sales of these items will be tracked for measurement of popularity and profitability to the companies involved.

Partners: Get Fit Foods and Stemilt Growers, Inc. of Wenatchee, Levy Restaurants in Qwest Field, Access to Healthy Foods Coalition, WA Department of Health.

Lead Agency Role: The Access to Healthy Foods Coalition, a non-profit group of businesses, industries, government agencies and non-profit organizations that work together to positively influence health and nutrition in Washington state by improving the access to healthier foods in popular venues where Washington citizens live, work and play.

For more information:
Vicky Scharlau     
Web: http://www.accesstohealthyfoods.org/

Healthy Food Environments at School

As an adjunct to their Healthy Living by Design work, Feet First in Seattle implemented a nutrition intervention at T.T. Minor Elementary School, called “Eat Better, Feel Better.” This intervention was funded through Healthy Eating by Design (HEBD), a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For the past two years, T.T. Minor Elementary has also been selected as one of twenty-five schools across Washington to receive free fruits and vegetables for snacks from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Fresh Fruits and Vegetables program. Together these two programs built a positive food environment at T.T. Minor by providing fruits and vegetables as snacks, nutrition education for teachers, staff, students and parents, a new salad bar in the cafeteria, family nights, cooking demonstrations and the development of a school garden. This Spring, students in the Public Health Nutrition course at the University of Washington evaluated the impact of the two nutrition initiatives. Teachers, staff and parents all felt that the program had a strong and positive impact on the students and the school environment.

Target Audience: Students, their families and staff at T.T. Minor Elementary School

Evaluation: The evaluation included interviews with teachers, staff and parents, student surveys and lunchroom observations. Findings at T.T. Minor were compared with those from a control school with similar characteristics. Students at T.T. Minor reported a significantly greater intake of fruits and vegetables compared to the control school. A video of the presentation and the results can be viewed at http://courses.washington.edu/nutr531/HEBD/index.htm.

Partners: Feet First, Seattle Public Schools, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the University of Washington Center for Public Health Nutrition

Lead Agency Role: Feet First is a private, non-profit advocacy group that partners with many community agencies to promote healthy eating and physical activity among Washington residents, with a focus on the Puget Sound Region, and was the fiscal agent for the "Eat Better, Feel Better" project.

For More Information:
Katy Busby
Tel: 206-251-3411

Community Connections in Hospital Food Service: Farm-to-Table  

Hospitals are continually challenged to look at new and innovative ways to make foods appealing and tasty for their patients and the public. As part of the Mount Vernon Healthy Communities Project, Skagit Valley Hospital (SVH) now has a farm-to-table initiative. Rodger Bowman, SVH Food Service Director, credits his chef for encouraging the purchase and use of Skagit Valley produce delivered three times a week. He especially likes the fresh greens that are delivered the same day they are cut. All of the meat he purchases is locally raised.

Target Audience: Residents of Mount Vernon and surrounding communities who are served by the local hospital 

Evaluation: Patients are surveyed about satisfaction with menus and meal service. Patrons of the cafeteria are asked to fill out a customer satisfaction form. Local food suppliers may be asked for feedback by the hospital.

Partners: Partners include Skagit Valley Hospital, Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland, Shawn's Produce in Everett.

Lead Agency Role: The Mount Vernon Healthy Communities Project (MVHCP) is the second Healthy Communities pilot project developed with the Department of Health in Washington State. MVHCP is exploring a partnership with an agricultural marketing director to include locally grown sustainable foods in food service in the hospital.

For More Information:
Liz McNett Crowl
360-428-2331