A program in Hawaii that has decreased obesity has been awarded a $10 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The funds will pay for a five-year project at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to "create a food systems model that will help identify the drivers of resiliency in food supply chains for decreasing food waste and increasing food and nutrition security, healthful diets and health among children," a news release said.
“A @CTAHRNews program which has decreased the prevalence of obesity in the Pacific was just awarded a $10 million grant from the @USDA_NIFA Sustainable Agricultural Systems Program," the university tweeted.
The goal of the project is to increase food and nutrition security, diet quality and healthy body size among children, said principal investigator Rachel Novotny of the university's Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences. It is one of one of 15 sustainable agricultural research projects nationally to receive the Department of Agriculture grants.
“Long term we aim to help prevent chronic disease in households and communities across the U.S.-affiliated Pacific insular area, which includes Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa," Novotny said. "The findings and tools will also help guide education and extension programs.”
The grant aims to help the university compile data needed to make food systems healthier, Novotny said.
It could lead in improvements in agriculture practices that will benefit consumers, farmers and the environment, according to the university.
“It takes an inclusive systems approach to tackle these major issues," said National Institute of Food and Agriculture Director Carrie Castille in a statement. "We are excited to see impacts this research investment will generate for our nation to move us toward solutions that benefit all Americans.”
