Healthy
Food Systems
Our
Goal:
Our communities value and have easy access to nutritious and
locally-produced foods including fruits, vegetables, and seafood.
Disease and obesity rates declines as a result of healthy
food consumption.
Unhealthy eating
contributes to the growing obesity epidemic, and to related
health problems. Currently, over half of adults in Hancock
County are overweight or obese, and adult obesity rates in
Maine have doubled in the last decade.
Does our local
food system encourage healthy food choices? Are nutritious
foods accessible in our schools, stores, restaurants, and
organizations? Do our children and youth learn how to grow
and prepare healthy foods – do they know where their
food comes from? Do our communities support local and sustainable
production of healthy foods including fruits, vegetables,
meat, dairy, and seafood? All of these elements are part of
building a healthy food system.
Community-wide
efforts to build a healthier food system are underway in
the
MDI region. In addition to the projects listed on the right,
Healthy Acadia also offers mini-grants
to support food & nutrition efforts, and provides technical
support and other services to local groups that would like
to connect with healthy local foods, write healthy eating
policies for their organizations, and more! Please contact
us for more information. For more data on local food
and health, please visit the resources
section of this website.
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Initiatives
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