Dr. Alice Ammerman, Mildred Kaufman Distinguished Professor of nutrition at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and director of the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, has received funding from the 2016 Felix Harvey Award to Advance Institutional Priorities.
[Photo: Dr. Alice Ammerman serves a healthy vegetarian chili at a recent chili cook-off in NC.]
Dr. Ammerman will lead a coalition of community partners to increase access to healthy food for low-income consumers.
“This venture provides access to healthy food for low-income community members while also providing economic opportunities for local farmers and retailers,” said Dr. Ammerman. “The project will develop a sales model with dual price points — full price or slightly higher at an upscale food store, and significantly reduced prices at four small community grocery stores.”
The group will use local food production facilities and seasonally available local food to create healthy frozen meals that will be offered for sale at local markets. While inspired by the Mediterranean diet, the recipes will be adapted for the southern palate, featuring southern vegetables and locally produced meats. Local partners include Weaver Street Market, Carolina student start-up Seal the Seasons and Farmer Foodshare, among others.