Posts Tagged: Lorrene Ritchie
Chinese newspaper shares UC food insecurity research
Xinhua News is the official press agency of the Peoples Republic of China. It has a news bureau in San Francisco. The story came after UC President Janet Napolitano approved $3.3 million in new funding over the next two years to help students regularly access nutritious food on campus and off. The allocation was prompted by the results of a 2015 UC survey designed to accurately gauge the food security of its students. Survey responses were evaluated by NPI, part of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources.
According to the survey, 19 percent of UC students indicated they had "very low" food security. An additional 23 percent were characterized as having "low" food security.
"I think many people in China think about food security in a little different way," wrote Dan in her email to Ritchie. "They care more about if there's food to fill their stomach and are less likely to realize that the reduced size of meals, less nutritious food, diet lacking variety and irregular eating patterns may constitute food insecurity. Maybe that's why some editors just don't believe that food security could be a broad issue in American universities."
Ritchie told Dan that is also a common misperception among people in the U.S.
"Food insecurity should not be confused with severe forms of starvation. Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture," Ritchie said.
According to USDA definitions, "very low" food security is experienced as reduced food intake at times during the past year due to limited resources, and "low" food security is reduced quality, variety or desirability of the diet, with little or no indication of reduced food intake.
Dan got further clarification when she asked about her own personal experience.
"I'm constantly under work pressure and deadline pressure and don't have time to prepare food. As a result, I often skip meals, have poor quality diet and irregular eating patterns. Do you think I have the problem of food insecurity?" Dan wrote.
Ritchie explained: "You, like many, may not eat optimally for a number of reasons. But to be classified as food insecure, your inability to eat a more nutritious diet and follow a more regular eating pattern has to be due to a lack of financial resources, rather than lack of time."
UC commits $3.3 million to improve student access to nutritious food
The online survey was administered to a randomly selected sample of students from all 10 UC campuses in spring 2015. It is part of the UC Global Food Initiative, which promotes a nutritious, sustainable food supply.
According to the NPI survey, 19 percent of the nearly 9,000 participating UC students indicated they had “very low” food security, which the USDA defines as experiencing reduced food intake at times due to limited resources. An additional 23 percent were characterized as having “low” food security, defined by the USDA as reduced quality, variety or desirability of diet, with little or no indication of reduced food intake.
According to the UC news release, UC has developed an action plan tailored to the needs of individual campuses while maximizing coordination among them. The plan includes:
- Expanding food pantry storage and access
- Increasing collaboration with state and county offices to register students for CalFresh, California's nutrition assistance program
- Establishing and expanding awareness campaigns on student support services and food access
- Expanding the existing Swipe Out Hunger programs, which allow university students to donate excess dollars on their meal plan to reduce hunger on campuses
- Integrating food preparation and secure storage space into new student housing design and construction
- Enhancing financial aid communications about housing and food costs
“Among students who reported food insecurity in the past year, we found that for 57 percent this was a new experience – not one they had faced as children,” says Ritchie. “This suggests that students who are on their own for the first time would benefit from financial literacy training and additional information about financial aid, nutrition assistance, and making healthy choices on a limited budget.”
The report Student Food Access and Security Study, authored by NPI research analyst Suzanna Martinez, UC Santa Barbara sustainability coordinator Katie Maynard and Ritchie, can be downloaded at http://npi.ucanr.edu.
The debate over dairy products is being milked for all its worth
Robert Lustig, professor of pediatric medicine at UC San Francisco, said he believes drinking whole milk can lead to lower calorie intake overall because it is more filling than low-fat and non-fat alternatives.
A UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) expert shared a different viewpoint. Lorrene Ritchie, director of the UC ANR Nutrition Policy Institute, said low-fat or skim milk products are still preferable to whole milk because liquid calories are not as filling as equivalent calories from solid food. Nationwide, the goal for most people should be to reduce calorie intake.
"Until we decrease calorie intake on a population level, we are unlikely to see much reversal in the obesity epidemic," Ritchie said.
Before the end of 2015, the federal government is expected to release its revised Dietary Guidelines for Americans. According to the Guardian article, the guidelines are expected to tout vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seafood and "low- or non-fat dairy." The guidelines inform the USDA's dietary infographic, which at the moment takes the form of a plate half filled with vegetables and fruit, and the other half with a small portion of protein food and whole grains.
The Nutrition Policy Institute has been advocating for the addition of water on the MyPlate icon to reinforce its position that plain tap water is the best choice for quenching thirst.
Ritchie to lead Nutrition Policy Institute
Ritchie to lead Nutrition Policy Institute
I am pleased to announce that after a nationwide search we have selected Lorrene Ritchie to serve as the inaugural director of the Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI), effective Feb. 18. She will also be a UC Cooperative Extension specialist.
NPI is a new institute within UC ANR, with the mission of improving nutrition and reducing obesity, hunger and chronic disease risk in children and their families in diverse settings. The institute and its director will provide statewide nutrition policy leadership for ANR's research and education activities and will work in synergy with research and outreach efforts being conducted in Davis and Berkeley campus departments and colleges and throughout the UC system.
Ritchie brings to this new position her vast experience in applying research to policy and working with UC Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists, UC faculty and others involved in nutrition-related research and education. With her years of applied research being recognized for having a high evaluation standard and policy implications at state and national levels, she is highly respected in the nutrition field. She has testified before state and federal legislature with the ability to translate complex issues into realistic and necessary solutions for decision makers.
Ritchie has served since 2005 as associate researcher and director of research at the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health at UC Berkeley. She provided leadership and coordinated research efforts at the center, collaborating with an extensive network of multidisciplinary researchers, program delivery experts and policy advocates to support evidence-based policy and practice initiatives in nutrition and obesity prevention. As a principal investigator, she directed research projects funded at approximately $4 million and supervised many concurrent research project teams.
From 2000 to 2005, Ritchie worked as assistant researcher and project director for the center preparing grant proposals and conducting research. She prepared over 50 grant proposals to federal and private funding sources at the center. She has held teaching positions including adjunct assistant professor for two years at Samuel Merritt College's Intercollegiate Nursing Program, and lecturer for five years at UC Berkeley in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology.
Ritchie earned a B.S. in chemistry from San Jose State University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in nutritional sciences, both from UC Berkeley. She is also a registered dietitian.
We are so fortunate to have Dr. Ritchie to launch the NPI. She will be based in Oakland, but she will be traveling frequently to collaborate with colleagues throughout the state as well as with federal entities. I hope you will join me in welcoming her to ANR.
Barbara Allen-Diaz
Vice President
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