One WV Dietitian's Adventure into Sustainability Barbara E. Hartman, - PDF document

One WV Dietitian's Adventure into Sustainability Barbara E. Hartman, MS, RD, LD Barbara Hartman, MS, RD, LD, is the Chief of Nutrition and Food Service at the Martinsburg, West Virginia VA Medical Center. She is the 2004-2005 past chair of the Hunger and Environmental Nutrition DPG and served on the 2007 ADA Sustainable Food Systems task force. Barbara has been interested in environmental issues since the early 1980’s. She is presently studying ways to incorporate sustainable foods into institutional food service and is gradually making application to the foodservice she directs. In 2007 she presented a case study of her food service greening efforts at the Community Food Security Coalition annual meeting, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Sustainable Hospital Food conference and the Minnesota Dietetic Association annual meeting.

W E S T V I R G I N I A D I E T E T I C A S S O C I A T I O N GOOD FOOD CHECKLIST Dietitians Cultivating a Healthy, Green, Fair, and Affordable Food System Good Food Strategies Dietitians can be a guiding force in the establishment of a healthy, green, fair and a ff ordable food system. Using this A p r i l 2 0 0 8 checklist, pick five “good food’ strategies you will accomplish in the next few months and build from there. Start at home, you may be surprised to find you are doing some already! I will.... Learn more about sustainable food systems Choose a diet rich in locally - grown An Ecological Approach to Food & Health and seasonal foods Maintain a container or a backyard B y A n g i e T a g t o w , M S , R D , L D garden Share my home - grown food and recipes with others Healthy soil grows healthy food. Support and promote community gardens and greenhouses Healthy food nourishes healthy people. Shop at the local farmers’ market or Healthy people form healthy communities. food co - op Buy directly from local farms, road stands and U - pick farms Buy a CSA share Dietitians & Sustainable Food Systems Support local food processors such as meat lockers and canning facilities cience proves that healthy soil related practices that regenerate S Start a gardening program at a school, grows healthy food. Science also rather than degrade our natural daycare, church, hospital, long - term proves that eating healthy food resources. They are socially just, care facility, or community center nourishes healthy people. accessible, a ff ordable, develop local Purchase fair - trade, organic co ff ee, tea Therefore, when the soil is unhealthy communities and economies and meet and chocolate it becomes the source of disease in the food and nutrition needs of all Compost fruit and vegetable scraps plants, animals and people. The long - eaters. Select packaging options that are term consequences are an recyclable and environmentally accumulation of disease and a food Dietitians may already be friendly system that does not support good implementing sustainable food Implement a reduce, reuse, recycle health. Dietitians must support a systems practices either personally or program in my home, workplace or healthy, green, fair and a ff ordable food professionally. By engaging in community system by cultivating a food landscape sustainable food systems issues, Complete a Master Gardener course that supports the health, social and dietitians can advance a healthy, green, Promote agritourism and ecotourism economic well - being of individuals, fair and a ff ordable food system while in my community families, farms and communities. meeting patient and client concerns Grow food for a community about health and the environment. supported agriculture ( CSA ) farm or a Sustainable food systems, or “good This will result in better nutrition farmers market food” systems, are formed when counseling and improved nutritional Become an organic farmer agriculture, processing, distribution health for individuals, families and and consumption are integrated and communities. Start a local food co - op continued...

Good Food Strategies Dietitians Cultivating a Healthy, Green, Fair and Affordable Food System I will.... Educate students and interns about: The Politics of Food Promote local, seasonal and • The link between sustainable food It is policy that determines what food is sustainably - raised food to production, nutrition and health grown, harvested, processed, imported, individuals, families, institutions and • The interconnectedness of food exported and available for purchase. communities and agricultural policy with the Dietitians can influence “good food” Promote Buy Fresh Buy Local availability of healthy food policies at the local, state and federal marketing initiatives • Strategies to incorporate levels that: Serve local, seasonal and sustainably - sustainable food systems into raised food at meetings and clinical, management and public • Increase access to fresh, locally - conferences health practice grown food for all eaters Include sustainable food system tips Glean food from local farmers for • Encourage diversity of food that is in nutrition education materials food banks and pantries grown Educate patients and clients about: W ork with food banks and pantries • Conserve natural resources such as • The health, social and to regularly provide local, seasonal soil, water and energy environmental benefits of eating and sustainably - raised food local, seasonal and sustainably - Establish a food recovery system and • Decrease synthetic chemicals and raised food donate leftover food to emergency pharmaceuticals used in agriculture • The availability of fresh, local, food programs • Protect valuable farmland seasonal and sustainably - raised Implement disaster and emergency foods preparedness plans that incorporate • Build vibrant local food system • Preparing and preserving fresh, local, seasonal and sustainably - raised infrastructure seasonal food food • Increase the number of small and • Food safety issues related to Refer clients to the WIC or Senior mid - sized farms selecting and preparing fresh food Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Begin a discussion at my institution O ff er nutrition or cooking classes W ork with policy makers on about: using locally - grown food at farmers’ establishing vibrant local food • Adopting a seasonal menu system markets, food banks and schools systems • Purchasing directly from local Provide support and encouragement Establish a food policy council in farms and local distributors to mothers who are breastfeeding my community • Requesting local, seasonal and Express interest in eating local, Run for an elected o ffi ce sustainably - raised foods from food seasonal and sustainably - raised food Join the Hunger & Environmental distributors at restaurants Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group • Reviewing food safety issues Support businesses and restaurants ( www.HENdpg.org ) related to regional distribution that use local, seasonal and and transportation systems sustainably - raised food Resources • Educating food service sta ff on W ork with restaurants and 1. American Dietetic Association Sustainable preparing and cooking whole, institutions to develop menus that Food System Task Force. Healthy Land, Healthy People: Building a Better Understanding of local and seasonal food use local, seasonal and sustainably - Sustainable Food Systems for Food and Nutritio n • Revising institutional raised food Professionals. Chicago, IL:American Dietetic procurement policies and Request food stores to buy from Association; 2007. purchasing specifications to local farmers and processors 2. Harmon A, Gerald B. Position of the include local, seasonal and Encourage point - of - sale American Dietetic Association: Food and Nutrition Professionals Can Implement sustainably - raised food identification of local, seasonal and Practices to Conserve Natural Resources and • Becoming a fast food - free zone sustainably - raised food in markets Support Ecological Sustainability. J Am Die t • Minimizing and managing waste Write articles or blogs about Assoc. 2007;107 ( 6 ) :1033 - 1043. and energy sustainable food systems 3. Health Care Without Harm. Healthy Food i n • Using recycled disposables versus Submit a letter to the editor or an Health Care: A Menu of Options. 2006. www.noharm.org. styrofoam or plastic products op - ed about the benefits of locally - 4. McCa ff ree J. W ater and sustainable • Establishing a composting system grown foods agriculture: What they mean to food and • Hosting a farmers market at our Add sustainability principles in your nutrition professionals. J Am Diet Assoc. facility next presentation or interview 2008;108 ( 2 ) :215 - 216. Angie Tagtow, MS, RD, LD is a Food & Society Policy fellow working to educate Environmental Nutrition Solutions consumers, opinion leaders and policy makers on sustainable food systems that promote good health, vibrant communities and environmental stewardship. Angie is an An ecological approach to food and health environmental nutrition consultant dedicated to assuring all eaters have access to “good food.” Her business, Environmental Nutrition Solutions, takes an ecological approach to www.environmentalnutritionsolutions.com food and health by focusing on the public health benefits of sustainable food systems.