The National Food Access and COVID research Team (NFACT) is a collaboration of researchers at 18 sites across 15 states exploring the impact of COVID-19 on food access, food security and food systems. 

Letter from the Director 

Dear NFACT Community,

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to attend the American Public Health Association conference, where I know many NFACT colleagues presented their research. I was delighted to moderate a session with the Arizona team, focused on a deep dive into the pandemic's impact there, including it's disproportionate impact on foreign born Hispanics.  This month has also highlighted the continued economic challenges facing those recovering from the pandemic, including the announcement from The Bureau of Labor about the 5.4% increase in prices in September, especially for food including meat products.  Such rising costs remind us that the longer-term economic impacts of the pandemic and the economic recovery will continue to shape food access and food behaviors for years to come. 

This month NFACT is sharing three new briefs from the Northeast states of Maine and Connecticut, which continue to uncover the depth of impacts of the pandemic on households with children, young families and far reaching implications including dietary changes.  We are also pleased to share that our first joint collaborative paper across all NFACT sites has been accepted for publication, which we will share next month. 

Happy Fall to all!

Best,

Meredith 

Meredith Niles, PhD

NFACT Director

Associate Professor

University of Vermont

New Policy Briefs and Publications

Connecticut 

A new brief, Food Access in Connecticut: One Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic, based on a survey targeting vulnerable populations found disparities in the rate of food insecurity between the overall population and households with children, households of color, and unemployed households. These results are similar to recent findings of the USDA. 

Maine

Research summarized in a new brief, Food Insecurity and Use of Food-Assistance Programs and Food Pantries of Maine Adults as a Result of COVID-19, found that while people in all age groups experienced some degree of change in food security status, younger adults (18 -34) were affected more significantly than older adults (55+). 

A new brief, Shopping, Eating, and Dietary Behaviors of Maine Adults as a Result of COVID-19:A Focus on Older Adults, found that despite stressors related to COVID-19 older adults (55+) did not report an increase in negative dietary behaviors. Compared with younger groups, older adults were less likely to eat food to cope with stress, and less likely to reduce their consumption of fruits, vegetables, or seafood. 

Researcher Spotlight

What is your current position and general research focus? What is your role with NFACT research?

I work as a part-time Research Data Analyst at The Greater Boston Food Bank. I create reports to summarize NFACT findings for other Massachusetts food banks to utilize, contribute to manuscripts for disseminating our NFACT findings, and perform a variety of other NFACT data-related tasks as needed. I'm also an MS student in Population Health Research at the Boston University School of Public Health. While I'm still forming my exact research focus, my interests lie in reducing health disparities through addressing social determinants of health.

What has been most surprising about your NFACT research?

While I expected to see a slight difference in rates of food insecurity among adults with and without children, I was surprised to see that there was nearly a two-fold difference in food insecurity among these groups both before and during the pandemic. I think this finding highlights the importance of developing targeted interventions for adults with children to address this gap in food security.

What future NFACT work do you hope to do? And/or how has your work with NFACT influenced your future work or research?

The Greater Boston Food Bank is getting ready to release the second round of our NFACT survey. I'm eager to see how food insecurity in Massachusetts compares to earlier on in the pandemic. These findings will help The Greater Boston Food Bank, as well as other food banks in Massachusetts, to better serve their communities.

Fun Fact

When I'm not conducting NFACT research, I work as a farmer at Mass Audubon's Drumlin Farm, where 15% of all food we grow is donated to local food pantries. Farming has given me a unique perspective on the importance of growing produce that is healthy for people and the planet, as well as the importance of increasing access to those who otherwise may not be able to afford it.

NFACT in the News 

What's Next? 

Have an update or idea for the newsletter?

Want to suggest a student or researcher to highlight?

Contact Mattie: malpaugh@uvm.edu

Want to contact NFACT or get involved?

Contact Meredith: mtniles@uvm.edu