Featured Stories

 ENACT Local Policy Database Now Online

Prevention Institute, with funding from The California Endowment, is pleased to announce that the Environmental Nutrition and Activity Local Policy Database is available online. Click here to begin searching. The searchable database is designed to provide community advocates, health professionals, policymakers and those working in related fields with concrete examples of local-level policies that have been adopted and/or implemented to improve nutrition and physical activity environments.  From joint use agreements to formula restaurant ordinances, we hope to capture what cities, counties, special districts, regional bodies and school districts are doing to make healthy eating and activity a more realistic option.  more...

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Food Industry Regulation Goes Transatlantic

Strategic Alliance members and colleagues participated in The EU/US Conference, Good practices: Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, convened in Brussels May 11 & 12. The conference, a joint effort of the US Department of Health and Human Services and the European Union, did not go nearly far enough in promoting meaningful dialogue about the need for significant changes in food industry marketing tactics and products. In fact, US Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, stated flatly that policy and regulatory measures employed successfully in tobacco control are not needed to address poor nutrition and sedentary behavior. Concerned US participants were able to rally with like-minded European public health and consumer group representatives to circulate a statement at the closing press conference emphasizing the need for regulation of junk food marketing to children, reformulation of processed food products, and a strong role for government in holding industry accountable. more...

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New Strategic Alliance Resource for November Election

State and local policy signify a vital opportunity to impact nutrition and physical activity environments.  With elections approaching in November, candidates’ forum are a key venue to bring issues pertaining to nutrition and activity to the forefront and hold elected officials accountable for instituting policies that improve opportunities for nutrition and activity.  The Strategic Alliance has created a guide for nutrition and physical activity advocates that include sample questions for candidates and how to use the questions effectively during a candidates’ forum.  View the question guide and our suggested answers or contact Jamila at jamila@preventioninstitute.org with any questions.

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Legislative updates

After the big win for Physical Education in June, additional bills addressing nutrition and activity continue to move forward.

• SB 1329 (Alquist)
• AB 2384 (Leno) 

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In the News

Local Governments Continue to Set an Example with Healthy Vending Policies

Local entities continue to set model standards by enacting healthy vending machine policies.  Both Chula Vista and San Jose have recently enacted local policies addressing healthy options in city vending machines.   By providing healthy food options on-site, government employees have better access to healthy food choices during the work day and healthy food options will also become more readily available to community residents who use city facilities. more... 

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Upcoming Events

Building Healthy Communities Through Food

July 15, 2006, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Richmond, CA

This full-day community workshop on increasing access to healthy foods and making change in our communities is an opportunity to meet and learn from others who are organizing to bring healthy foods into their communities and build connections with local farms. This workshop will also include discussion on how social and environmental injustice affects healthy food access.  

Healthier Food in Healthcare: “Meet the Certifiers” Roundtable

July 19, 2006 , 8:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. Berkeley, CA

A chance for heath care providers and institutional buyers to meet with representatives from major certifiers such as Fair Trade, CA Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), and Food Alliance to find out more about what their brands mean. Brief presentations by each branding agency will be followed by a longer question-and-answer session where participants can ask detailed questions of the certifiers about their brands. The morning session will conclude with two institutional food service representatives presenting their steps towards working with certified foods.

California Childhood Obesity Conference

January 23-26, 2007 Anaheim, CA

SAVE THE DATE!  Online registration begins in August for the California Childhood Obesity Conference, hosted by the CA Department of Health Services, the CA Department of Education, and the UC Berkeley Center for Weight and Health.

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Resources

"Captive Kids: Selling Obesity at Schools" Toolkit

A new tool kit, “Captive Kids: Selling Obesity at Schools" is now available. The tool kit, developed for school staff and administrators, community advocates and health professionals, addresses the issue of marketing unhealthy foods and beverages on school campuses.

For more information and links to the press release and facts sheets, please refer to the Strategic Alliance's page on Captive Kids and to view the toolkit, please visit www.CaliforniaProjectLEAN.org and search for "captive kids."

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Announcements

Samuels & Associates has moved! 

Samuels & Associates is still located in lovely Preservation Park, but has moved to a bigger house.  Their new address is: 1222 Preservation Park Way, Oakland, CA 94612.  Their phone number, fax line and email addresses stay the same.  Please make these changes in your databases and use this address to send any mailed communication.

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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 on individual choice and lifestyle towards one of environment 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, 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 on individual choice and lifestyle, towards one of environment and corporate and government responsibility.

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