Featured Stories

 Congratulations to the State of New York on the launch of NYSHEPA!

The State of New York recently launched their own  statewide coalition dedicated to improving policy and practices that promote  healthier eating and physical activity—New YorkerS for Healthy Eating and  Physical Activity (NYSHEPA). NYSHEPA’s proposed initial goals will be to improve school food and food-related policies, increase access to sidewalks, bikeways and recreation areas, and increase access to fresh produce, particularly in urban, low-income areas.  Read more.

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In the News

Hold the Applause….

In October Disney made headlines with its promise to implement nutritional standards for the food it brands.  While applauding this as a preliminary step towards healthier food environments for children, Prevention Institute asks, in Jamila Edwards' New York Times letter to the editor (published October 23rd), Why market foods to kids at all?  Jamila has written an article on this topic for the California Progress Report. Read the article.

The Big Apple Bans Trans Fat!

On December 5th, New York City became the first city in the nation to ensure removal of artificial trans fat from restaurants.  The Board of Health voted unanimously to require all New York City restaurants to remove artificial trans fat over the next 18 months.  ''New York City has set a national standard,'' said Harold Goldstein, of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy and Strategic Alliance Steering Committee member, who predicted that other communities would follow suit (as quoted in the New York Times, December 6, 2006). “That is a really valuable step forward in terms of reducing the amount of highly processed foods," said Leslie Mikkelsen, of Strategic Alliance. "We need to go further, getting people to eat more fruits and vegetables and whole grains" (as quoted in the Contra Costa Times, December 6, 2006). To learn more about the trans fat ban, visit the policy profile in the ENACT Local Policy Database.  New York also made history this month when the Board of Health passed the first menu-labeling requirement (see policy profile) in the country. 

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Announcements

Mapping the Movement: We Need Your Help!

Prevention Institute has received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop a national map of major coalitions and organizations engaged in nutrition and physical activity and related efforts (e.g., food security, sustainable agriculture, built environment). Prevention Institute staff will also be looking at local grassroots organizations engaged in advocacy and policy work (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, and environmental justice), with a focus on groups working in communities of color and low-income communities.  The goal of this project is to develop a comprehensive picture of what is happening across the nation to build momentum and energy as well as inform more effective strategy.

If you have heard of or have worked with any organizations and/or coalitions around the nation that you think we should contact for this project, please contact Jamila Iris Edwards at jamila@preventioninstitute.org or (510) 444-7738 x. 334.

Workshop on School Nutrition Standards and Local School Wellness Policies

Samuels & Associates and California Project LEAN are co-facilitating a pre-conference workshop, School Nutrition Standards and Local School Wellness Policies: Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation for Success on January 23, 2007, 12:00 – 4:30 pm (lunch included) at the California Childhood Obesity Conference (January 23-26, 2007) in Anaheim.  The workshop will feature a step-by-step guide to implementing your local wellness policy and evaluation tools for monitoring changes in the school nutrition environment. Read more.

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Upcoming Events

Strategic Alliance Member's Meeting in Anaheim, CA

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Our next statewide members meeting will be held during the CA Childhood Obesity Conference

California Childhood Obesity Conference in Anaheim, CA

January 23-26, 2007

6th Annual Smart Growth Conference in Los Angeles, CA

February 8-10, 2007

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Thanks for reading!  The Strategic Alliance is currently engaged in building a broad and diverse statewide membership.  If you were forwarded this e-mail and want to receive your own copy in the future, please click here or e-mail Sana@preventioninstitute.org.  And if you’re already a member, please forward this message to your colleagues so we can continue to strengthen our coalition.  Thank you!

WHAT IS THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE?

The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and physical activity away from a focus solely on individual choice and lifestyle towards one of environmental influences and corporate and government responsibility. Current Steering Committee members are: California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program (CANFit), California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA), California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA), California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS) , California Project LEAN, California WIC Association (CWA), Child Care Food Program Roundtable, Latino Health Access, Partnership for the Public’s Health, Prevention Institute, Samuels & Associates, and YMCA of the East Bay.

The Strategic Alliance is supported by funding from The California Endowment.

The Strategic Alliance is reframing the debate on nutrition and physical activity--from a focus solely on individual choice and lifestyle, towards one of environmental influences and corporate and government responsibility.

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