Good Bowls: Empowering Communities to Achieve Good Food Access and Health Equity

Abstract Emerging data indicate that those with pre-existing health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, are at significantly increased risk of contracting COVID-19, as are low income and persons of color. Research also suggests that food insecurity (lack of access to affordable, nutritionally valuable food) and poor dietary intake are likely contributors to health disparities in these populations. Unemployment, poverty, ethnic minority status, and rural residence are also strong predictors of poor health. The need to provide accessible and affordable healthy food options to support improved immune system function to higher-risk populations has therefore become increasingly urgent as the pandemic unfolds. Nutritional status is believed to play a key role in the prevention, treatment, and management of COVID-19, with a balanced diet and certain nutrients serving to strengthen the immune system. Yet, even as the need for nutritious food options has become more urgent, the pandemic has led to enormous food industry job loss, closing of food-related businesses, loss of restaurant and institutional markets for small to mid-sized farmers, and excess produce being wasted or donated to food banks /pantries where the capacity to store and distribute this volume of perishable food is limited. These effects have dramatically amplified food insecurity,1 particularly in minority and low income populations. Equiti Foods LLC is advancing Good Bowls, a production and distribution platform to increase availability of healthy, affordable, locally-produced, good-tasting frozen meals to low income and minority populations in small towns and rural communities, while also providing economic opportunities for small businesses in rural communities. The meals are based on the Mediterranean diet adapted for taste preferences and seasonal availability of food in the southeastern US (“Med-South Diet”). Equiti Foods has tested the Med-South diet in multiple studies and found beneficial health impacts in low income populations as well as broad acceptability regarding taste. This Phase I administrative supplement will focus on tailoring the platform for application in current COVID-19 impacted regional economies and business environments. The goal is to assist in minimizing the health, financial and social impacts of the pandemic in health disparity populations. Specific aims include: 1) work with three identified restaurants/caterers in rural economically distressed communities (including one Black- owned and one Latinx-owned) to test the Good Bowls model; 2) assess early stage nutrition impact on customers adversely affected by COVID-19 in terms of food security, diet quality and healthy food knowledge/behaviors; 3) incorporate COVID-19-related health messaging into the Good Bowls packaging tailored to local communities. If successful, this project will establish feasibility of a Good Bowls model that will: 1) empower small scale food producers, invigorating local economies; 2) prevent food waste resulting from COVID-disrupted food distribution chains; 3) provide at-risk populations with nutritious food to assist in prevention and management of COVID-19.Narrative Poverty, ethnic minority status, and rural residence are associated with poor health and food insecurity (lack of access to affordable, nutritionally valuable food), which in turn significantly increase risk of contracting COVID- 19. This project will advance a production and distribution platform for healthy, affordable, good-tasting frozen meals, designed to increase availability of healthy food options to low income and minority populations in small towns and rural communities, while also providing economic opportunities for farmers and small businesses in rural communities. The goal is to improve reduce COVID-19-related health risks while providing much needed job opportunities.