Our Evidence…

1)  Texas has a child nutrition problem with two faces – obesity and hunger.

Obesity:

·       19.1% of Texas children are medically obese, ranking sixth among states with the highest child obesity rates[i].

·       Texas schoolchildren also suffer from high rates of overweight[ii].

·       Texas schoolchildren become less fit as they age[iii], and are less likely to consume healthy food[iv].

·       As these children become adults, they will raise the number of obese Texas adults to 46.8% by 2025. This will lower productivity and increase health care costs that will contribute to a statewide cost to employers equaling $3.3 billion annually[v]^,[vi].

Hunger:

·       23.7% of Texas children are food insecure, living in households without enough food[vii].

·       Children in these households are more likely to have cognitive, motor[viii], emotional and behavioral problems[ix], exhibit multiple health deficiencies[x]^,[xi], and perform poorly in school[xii].

·       As these children become adults, they will exhibit lowered productivity and increased health care costs, contributing to a statewide cost of hunger equaling $9.8 billion annually[xiii].

2)  These twin problems are being fought in the same low-income neighborhoods, and often in the same families.

a.     Poverty is acknowledged as a “high-risk factor” for obesity in Texas youth[xiv].

b.     Among Texas school districts, hunger and lack of fitness are both associated with higher poverty rates[xv].

c.     Among Texas schoolchildren, Hispanic and African-American children are most likely to suffer from both hunger and overweight[xvi].

d.     Nationally, the highest obesity rates occur among the highest poverty groups[xvii].

e.     Food insecurity / poverty and overweight among children have been positively linked in several national studies[xviii]^{,[xix],[xx],[xxi], [xxii]}.

3)  Both problems are “flip sides” of the same coin: a lack of healthy food in the home.

a.     31% of low-income Texans report being unable to feed their children balanced meals “sometimes” or “often”[xxiii]

b.     Low income families consume less fresh produce, which is associated with healthier weight and diet outcomes[xxiv].

c.     Without the means to purchase enough food, low-income families often adapt “coping” mechanisms such as reducing the quality of food purchased[xxv][xxvi].

d.     Such strategies make financial sense – energy-dense junk foods cost an average of $1.76 per 1,000 calories, while nutritious, fresh, unprocessed foods cost $18.16 per 1,000 calories[xxvii].

e.     In recent years, the cost of nutritious foods has risen faster than the price of junk food, pushing these items further out of the reach of low-income households[xxviii].

f.      Households served by Texas food banks average just $9,000 in annual income[xxix] – the average Texas household makes $44,922[xxx].

g.     The annual amount spent on nutritious foods (fruits, vegetables & protein) by Texas families making $9,000 a year is $794; the average Texas household spends $1,260 – a gap of $466.

4)  Texas food banks are a direct source of food for many of these children.

a.     33% of all clients served by Texas food banks are children, equaling more than 681,000 children served annually[xxxi].

b.     36% of all households served by Texas food banks include at least one child[xxxii].

c.     Texas food banks supply 80% of the food distributed by the majority of 3,600 agencies statewide[xxxiii], nearly all of which are directly located in low-income neighborhoods or rural communities.

d.     Special programs operated by Texas Food Banks (backpack programs, Kids Cafes) offer proven venues for attracting and feeding low-income children.

e.     State-subsidized programs like school meals and summer feeding programs typically only provide balanced nutrition to children during breakfast and lunch, and in a very limited fashion in the summer.

5)  Utilizing food banks to distribute healthy foods with have the dual effect of reducing childhood hunger and increasing childhood health in Texas.

a.     Cost of bringing food bank families’ diets up to the level of average Texans = # of families served[xxxiv] X 36% X $466

b.     The most effective public policy interventions to mitigate both obesity and hunger involve the direct distribution of healthy food or food-purchasing power[xxxv].

c.     Leveraging the buying power, efficiency, community trust, and reach into every county of the Texas food banks is sound public policy.