Research and Evaluation

In keeping with its organizational mission, The Food Trust evaluates the success of its programs and initiatives by its effectiveness in:

  • Improving communities' access to affordable and healthy fresh foods;
  • Increasing awareness among at-risk consumers of the value of proper nutrition and its relation to individual health; and
  • Effecting positive behavioral change among children and adults, as relates to healthy eating habits.

The work of The Food Trust has been featured in several recent publications:

  • Foster, Gary, Sherman, Sandra et al. " A Policy-Based School Intervention to Prevent Overweight and Obesity." Pediatrics (2008)
  • Lavizzo-Mourey, R. “Childhood Obesity What It Means for Physicians.” Journal of. the American Medical Association 298.8 (2007).
  • Giang T, Karpyn A, Laurison H, Hillier A, Perry D. “Closing the Grocery Gap in Underserved Communities: The Creation of the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative.” Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (2008).
  • Geier A., Foster G., Womble, L., McLaughlin J., Borradaile K., Nachmani J., Sherman S., Kumanyika S., and Shults, J. “The Relationship Between Relative Weight and School Attendance Among Elementary Schoolchildren” Obesity 15: 2157-2161 (2007)

 

Outcomes

Schools:

  • The Food Trust's Comprehensive School Nutrition Policy Initiative reduced the incidence of children becoming overweight by 50%.
  • As a result of our programs, students are increasing fruit and vegetable intake from about 4 servings a day to about 6 servings a day. The change is statistically significant at p <.01.
  • More than 90% of parents participating in our Kindergarten Initiative reported that they had changed the way they shop for groceries, prepare meals, or talk to their children about food.

Farmers’ markets:

  • The Farmers’ Market Program continues to successfully deliver nutrition education. Survey findings reveal that 90% of those who have visited the market have received nutrition education.

  • More than half of market visitors report increasing their fruit and vegetable intake since coming to the markets. Among those reporting an increase, most claim improved consumption by two to three servings, and one in four report an increase of four servings or more.

  • Notably, the variety of fruits and vegetables consumed by market goers since coming to the market has also increased, according to survey findings. More than half (56%) report eating a greater variety of fruits and vegetables since coming to the market.

Policy:

  • The Fresh Food Financing Initiative has supported 52 supermarkets and grocery stores in Pennsylvania.
  • The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania established the Healthy Farms, Healthy Schools program, a policy for which The Food Trust advocated. Healthy Farms, Healthy Schools is modeled after The Food Trust's Kindergarten Initiative.