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Community Partnerships: Nutrition Policy Planning

Our highest priority is providing our neighbors with healthful foods, which are essential to a healthy lifestyle. While over half of the food we distributed last year consisted of nutritious items including fresh protein, produce, and dairy, we have undertaken a new initiative, in partnership with Feeding America and Blue Cross Blue Shield through the Nourish Grant. This project will help us to consistently identify the best options to provide to our neighbors with access to, while also honoring food preferences, cultural needs, and nutritional sensitivities.

In collaboration with our community partners, Central Illinois Foodbank is adopting a written nutrition policy which will help guide us and our 150+ partner agencies in our efforts to procure the most healthful food options possible. This nutrition policy will be based off of the Healthy Eating Research (HER) Nutrition Guidelines issued by Feeding America in March of 2020.

These guidelines divide foods into three groups based on how often they should be chosen to provide a balanced, healthy diet. The goal will be to reduce consumption of sugar, saturated fat, and sodium, while simultaneously increasing amounts of high-quality protein, fiber, and nutrients. When fully developed and implemented, the Foodbank’s new nutrition policy will allow us to continually excel in our goals to provide access to the best, nutritious options to our neighbors.