Healthy Eating

Nutrition Policy Institute researchers will attend and present at the 34th Annual CACFP Conference, Oct. 20-22, 2025 in Monterey, Calif. The conference brings together over 400 stakeholders and community members of the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program. NPI's longtime CACFP researcher, Lorrene…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, US social safety net programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP, Pandemic-EBT, and the Child Tax Credit, were temporarily expanded or created to combat rising food, housing, and economic insecurity among families. A recent study…

Hannah Thompson, director of the University of California's Nutrition Policy Institute, spoke with ABC 10 reporter Jackson Ellison about a new California bill that would require a healthy meal on kids’ menus at chain restaurants. California Senate Bill 764 would mandate chain restaurants, with 20 or more…

Socioeconomic status strongly influences children's nutrition and health, as low-income families often face barriers in meeting basic needs. To help address these challenges and reduce health disparities, safety net programs such as Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the Special…

Report • September 2025 • Download PDF (815 KB)Table of ContentsBackgroundStudy ObjectivesStudy Design and MethodsStudy sampleData collectionIntervention and Control Group Text Messages (SMS)AnalysisFindingsStudy participantsBehavioral changes among survey respondentsPerceptions of the text messages…

Hannah R. Thompson began her role as the new director of the Nutrition Policy Institute beginning September 1, 2025. Thompson has served as NPI’s senior epidemiologist since 2020 while also working as an assistant research professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. She…

A recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior explored the perceptions of elementary school parents and staff in a large, urban California school district that recently introduced more freshly-prepared school lunches. Based on interviews and focus groups conducted from May…

The Nutrition Policy Institute is excited to share our latest peer-reviewed publication in the Journal of Community Health, “Dietary Effects of School-Based SNAP-Ed Education with and without Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change Strategies.” This study examines how Supplemental Nutrition Assistance…

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as WIC, provides nutritious food, nutrition education, breastfeeding support, and health care referrals to pregnant and postpartum women and families with young children with low income. WIC participation improves…