Healthy Food Environments in Food Pantries: Lessons Learned from a Sodium Reduction Intervention

Emilee L. Quinn, Kate Ortiz, Laura Titzer, Barb Houston-Shimizu and Jessica Jones-Smith
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Emilee L. Quinn: Department of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Kate Ortiz: Chronic Disease & Injury Prevention Division, Public Health Seattle and King County, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
Laura Titzer: Northwest Harvest, Seattle, WA 98134, USA
Barb Houston-Shimizu: South King County Food Coalition, Des Moines, WA 98198, USA
Jessica Jones-Smith: Department of Health Systems and Population Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-15

Abstract: In the United States, food pantries increasingly serve as regular food sources for low income households experiencing high rates of chronic disease, including hypertension. Sodium consumption is a modifiable risk factor for hypertension, so pantry customers would benefit from access to low-sodium foods. Pantry customers often experience difficulty acquiring healthy foods, however; little is known about pantry foods’ sodium content specifically. This study assesses the sodium content of pantry foods and lessons learned from an adaptable intervention to support pantries in adopting policies and environmental changes to make healthy, lower-sodium foods appealing and accessible. We conducted sodium assessments of food at 13 food pantries, tracked implementation of intervention strategies, and interviewed 10 pantry directors. More than half of food items in 11 categories met sodium standards for foods to be chosen “often”. Pantry directors reported valuing the intervention approach and implemented six of nine behavioral economics strategies, especially those targeting the visibility and convenience of foods, along with layout changes and expanded customer choice. One pantry adopted an agency-specific nutrition policy and 12 adopted a coalition-level policy. Results can inform intervention efforts to make available healthy options appealing and easy to select while also improving the customer experience in food pantries.

Keywords: sodium; nutrition policy; guidelines; food insecurity; diet; food preferences; environment; evaluation; implementation; fruit and vegetables (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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