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Objective: In the USA, community-based food pantries provide free groceries to people struggling with food insecurity. Many pantries obtain food from regional food banks using an online shopping platform. A food bank introduced a visible nutrition rank (i.e. green, yellow or red) onto its platform. The hypothesis was that pantry orders would increase for the healthiest options (green) and decrease for the least healthy options (red). Design: Interrupted time series (ITS) analysis of a natural experiment. Monthly data included nutrition ranks of available inventory and itemised records of all products ordered during the 15-month baseline period and 14-month intervention. Setting: A New England food bank. Participants: The twenty-five largest food pantries in the network based on pounds of food ordered. Results: Descriptive analyses of 63 922 pantry ordering records before and after the visible ranks identified an increase in the proportion of green items ordered (39·3–45·4 %) and a decrease in the proportion of red items ordered (10·5–5·1 %). ITS analyses controlling for monthly changes in inventory available and pantry variables indicated that average monthly orders of green items increased by 1286 pounds (P < 0·001) and red orders decreased by 631 pounds (P = 0·045). Among the largest changes were increases in orders of fresh produce, brown rice, low-fat dairy and low-fat meats and decreases in orders of sugary juice drinks, canned fruit with added sugar, higher fat dairy and higher fat meats. Conclusions: This promising practice can support system-wide efforts to promote healthier foods within the food banking network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveLiterature on food environments has expanded rapidly, yet most research focuses on stores and community characteristics without integrating customer-level data. The present study combines customer shopping behaviour with store food inventory data.DesignFace-to-face interviews were conducted with customers shopping in corner stores to measure food shopping behaviour, household food security and demographics. Store inventories were conducted to measure availability of healthy food in corner stores. Multilevel logistic regression models estimated the probability of customers purchasing a food item given the availability of that item in the store.SettingNineteen corner stores in Hartford, CT, USA, average size 669 ft2 (62·15 m2).SubjectsSample of 372 customers.ResultsThe majority of customers were Black or Hispanic (54 % and 40 %, respectively) and 61 % experienced food insecurity. For each additional type of fruits or vegetables available in the store, the estimated odds of a customer purchasing fruits increased by 12 % (P = 0·03) and the odds for purchasing vegetables increased by 15 % (P = 0·01). Customers receiving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) were 1·7 times as likely to purchase fruit as those not receiving SNAP (P = 0·04). Greater availability of reduced-fat milk was not associated with increased likelihood of customers purchasing reduced-fat milk.ConclusionsThere is a positive association between fruit and vegetable variety and the probability that a customer purchases fruits and vegetables. Increasing the selection of produce in corner stores may increase their consumption by food-insecure and low-income residents at risk for health disparities. These findings have implications for future store interventions and food policies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses the historical and procedural background of the case "De Jesus v. United States Department of Veterans Affairs." A mentally-ill Vietnam war veteran Alejandro De Jesus was admitted to the Veteran Affairs inpatient program but was negligently discharged. The Third Circuit held the federal agency liable for the negligence.