Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased food insecurity, especially among low-income Black and His¬panic families in the United States. Food insecurity is associated with poorer health and higher mortality in adults and greater risk of impaired cognitive development and behavioral problems in children. Pro-viding food for low-income families is an important priority of the COVID-19 response. Food That Connects Us All is a program that provides healthy meals to low-income Black and Hispanic families in Baltimore City. The meals follow guidelines for the planetary health diet, a reference diet developed by the EAT-Lancet Commission to optimize health and be sustainable within planetary boundaries. The planetary health diet consists largely of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and unsaturated oils, with a low to moderate amount of seafood and poultry and with little or no red or processed meats, refined grains, starchy vegetables, and added sugar. In a food survey, participants showed a high level of satisfaction with the taste, appearance, and healthfulness of the meals. Food That Connects Us All is a direct approach to reducing health disparities and demonstrates the feasibility of providing an ideal reference diet to vulnerable low-income families at high risk for poor health outcomes during the pandemic.
Highlights
Providing food for low-income families is an important priority of the COVID-19 response
With the interruption of food programs and increases in food insecurity, feeding adults and children from low-income families has become an important priority of the COVID-19 response (Dunn, Kenney, Fleischhacker, & Bleich, 2020)
In order to evaluate the recipients’ satisfaction with the meals provided by Food That Connects Us All, a survey was conducted consisting of six questions: (1) How do you like the taste of the food? Delicious/good/so so/not good/bad; (2) How do like the appearance of the food? Beautiful/nice/so so/not nice/not beautiful; (3) How healthy is the food? Very healthy/healthy/not sure/unhealthy/very unhealthy; (4) What is your overall satisfaction with the food? Love it/like it/so so/don’t like/really don’t like; (5) Would you recommend this food to a friend? Yes/no; (6) What would you change about the meal? Check any: Nothing/bigger portions/more vegetables/more variety
Summary
Providing food for low-income families is an important priority of the COVID-19 response. Food That Connects Us All is a program that provides healthy meals to low-income Black and Hispanic families in Baltimore City. The planetary health diet consists largely of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and unsaturated oils, with a low to moderate amount of seafood and poultry and with little or no red or processed meats, refined grains, starchy vegetables, and added sugar.
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