Burlington Healthy Food Assessment
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Burlington Healthy Food Assessment Source: Vermont Food Bank Photography: Jason Houston Prepared for: The Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Community By: Florence Becot and Dr. Jane Kolodinsky February 2014 206 Morrill Hall, 146 University Place Burlington, VT 05405 802-656-9897 • [email protected] • www.uvm.edu/crs 2013 Burlington Healthy Food Assessment Acknowledgements The author of this report would like to acknowledge the contribution of the many, many people who made this report possible. Graduate students from Dr. Kolodinsky’s Research Methods class helped with secondary data collection, survey development, calling for the survey, food store surveys and interview of stakeholders. These students are: Jenna Banning, Gemelle Brion, Maria Carabello, Courtney Casper, Jeffrey Castle, Amy Davidson, Luca Fernandez, Andrew Gerlicz, Shanai Heber, Alexander Helling, Ann Janda, Anthony Kitsos, Deborah Krug, Katrina Light, Linnea Myers, Bryan O'Connor, Skyler Perkins, Deandra Perruccio, Jennifer Porter, Jordan Posner, Richard Richards, Lindsey Ruhl, Anna Schulz, Pamela Smith, Emily Stengel, Courtney Troescher and Serge Wiltshire. Undergraduate students also helped with data collection and data analysis, these students are: Haley Bliss, Austin Davis and Lloyd Salasin-Deane. All of these students were instrumental in the making of this report. The author of the report would also like to acknowledge the many stakeholders in the community who helped by sharing data, answering questions and giving feedback on the recommendations: Burlington Area Community Gardens (BACG), Burlington Food Council, Burlington School Food Project, Champlain Valley Agency on Aging, Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA), Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf, City Market, Hunger Free Vermont, New Farms for New Americans, Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA), Sodexho, The Intervale, UVM Extension, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), University of Vermont, Vermont Community Garden Network, Vermont Department of Health, Vermont Department of Aging and Independent Living. Last, the authors acknowledge Mariah Sanderson and Helena Van Voorst at the Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Community and the Vermont Department of Health who funded the assessment. Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont • www.uvm.edu/crs 2013 Burlington Healthy Food Assessment About the Center for Rural Studies The Center for Rural Studies (CRS) is a nonprofit, fee-for-service research organization that addresses social, economic, and resource-based problems of rural people and communities. Based in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Vermont (UVM), CRS provides consulting and research services in Vermont, the United States, and abroad. The research areas are divided into five main areas: Agriculture, Human Services and Education, Program Evaluation, Rural Community and Economic Development, and Vermont Community Data. The mission of CRS is to promote the dissemination of information through teaching, consulting, research, and community outreach. Primary emphasis is placed upon activities that contribute to the search for solutions and alternatives to rural problems and related issues. Bringing decades of experience to its work, CRS recognizes that answers to critical and timely questions often lie within a community or organization. For any questions or comments about this report, please contact Florence Becot, Research Specialist at the Center for Rural Studies at 802-656-9897 or at [email protected]. Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont • www.uvm.edu/crs 2013 Burlington Healthy Food Assessment Table of Contents SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ...................................................................................................................... 1 BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................................... 3 METHODS ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Secondary data ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Primary data ......................................................................................................................................... 5 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................................... 8 Demographics ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Logistics .............................................................................................................................................. 25 Economics ........................................................................................................................................... 33 Retail availability/supply .................................................................................................................... 35 Institutional and Other Availability ..................................................................................................... 39 RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................................................................... 44 Food Security ...................................................................................................................................... 44 Food Access ........................................................................................................................................ 45 Healthy diet ........................................................................................................................................ 46 LIMITATIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 47 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 48 APPENDIX............................................................................................................................................... 50 Center for Rural Studies at the University of Vermont • www.uvm.edu/crs 2013 Burlington Healthy Food Assessment List of Figures and Tables Table 1. Population and household structure profile of Burlington residents ............................................. 8 Table 2. Race/ethnicity and age of Burlington residents .............................................................................. 9 Table 3. Burlington household economic profile ........................................................................................ 10 Fig. 1. Burlington median household income ............................................................................................. 11 Table 4. Burlington household sources of income ..................................................................................... 12 Table 5. Top 10 industries in the Burlington-South Burlington area by number of employees. ................ 12 Fig 2. Food insecurity rate and income bands within food insecure population in Chittenden county in 2011. Source. Feedingamerica.org ............................................................................................................. 13 Fig 3. Food insecurity rate and income bands within food insecure population in Vermont in 2011. Source. Feedingamerica.org ....................................................................................................................... 14 Fig 4. Responses to the question: ‘which of these statements best describe the food eaten in your household in the past 12 months?’ in percent (n = 273). Note. Chi2 = 39.162, p = 0.0. ............................. 14 Table 6. Reasons why people don’t always have enough or the kinds of the foods they want to eat (n = 39) ............................................................................................................................................................... 15 Table 7. Federal Food Assistance Program ................................................................................................. 16 Table 8. Emergency food assistance resources .......................................................................................... 17 Table 9. Summary of program participation by survey respondents (n = 51) ............................................ 18 Fig 5. Importance of food assistance programs for households (n=47). .................................................... 18 Table 10. Use of emergency food programs (n = 51) ................................................................................. 19 Table 11. Suggestions from survey respondents to improve use of food assistance programs (n = 272) . 19 Fig. 6. USDA nutrition guide: MyPlate ........................................................................................................ 20 Table 12. Chittenden residents’ consumptions of fresh fruits and vegetables in percent ......................... 21 Table 13. Suggestions from survey respondents to make eating healthier easier (n = 272) ..................... 22 Table 14. Pre-intervention Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) responses