upstream public health

Bill Would Ban Pop and Junk Food in Public Vending Machines

House Bill 3403 is opposed by a group of blind vendors who testified that their businesses would suffer a 50 percent cut in sales if they’re only allowed to offer healthy food products they frequently throw away after nobody buys them
April 9, 2013 — If you want to buy a Coke or a Snickers bar from a state Capitol vending machine, you’d better get yours while you can. Read More >>

Nothing But Enthusiasm for Farm to School in First Hearing on Program Expansion

Farmers, food processors, public health advocates, and the Speaker of the House laud the many benefits of Farm to School and School Garden programs, and ask to expand the grant funding to school districts
 
February 22, 2013 – The first public hearing on a proposal to expand Farm to School and School Garden funding (House Bill 2649) received strong support in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday, February 21, 2013. HB 2649 asks for $5,000,000 in grant funding to school districts for 2013 to 2015 for the purchase of Oregongrown or –processed products and for food-, garden-, and agriculture-based education, from chef visits to school gardens to farm field trips. The bill was lauded as an excellent economic stimulator, creating upwards of 65 jobs, and paving the way for innovative partnerships between school districts and farmers to feed children healthy foods grown right within their home state.
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New Farm to School and School Garden Grants Transform Oregon School Lunch

Eleven school districts use $189,000 in state funding for local food and education Boon for farmers and kids
February 4, 2013 – This semester, school lunch for nearly 60,000 Oregon students is transforming thanks to an infusion of local food and food education. The Oregon Department of Education has announced that eleven school districts are the recipients of competitive Farm to School and School Garden grants totaling $189,140. The majority of the funds (87.5%) will be spent on purchasing Oregon food products, with a smaller portion (12.5%) dedicated to food-, agriculture-, and garden-based education activities. The funding goes to diverse districts and schools across the state, from the tiny rural community of Joseph nestled in the Wallowa Mountains, to Oregon’s second largest city, Eugene, in the heart of the Willamette Valley. Read More >>

TriMet adopts $2.50 flat fare, kills free rail zone after heated four-hour meeting

Public testimony stressed effects on transit-dependent riders, including health effects
June 14, 2012 – At the end of a meeting that lasted more than four hours, the bulk taken up by public testimony, TriMet's board of directors voted Wednesday to adopt the last draft of its budget – which was released in April.   Read More >>

Advocates Urge TriMet to Increase Transfer Times

Lack of reliable access to public transportation can negatively impact people’s health, they say
October 4, 2011 -- Activists who are urging TriMet to increase the time people can use public transportation with one ticket are citing -- as one of their main arguments – public health benefits. Read More >>

Farms-to-Schools Program Can Improve Children’s Health

Two school districts will begin using produce grown by farmers in school lunches this fall after legislators appropriated $200,000 for the program
June 20, 2011—House Bill 2800, which creates the Oregon Farm-to-School and School Garden Program awaits Governor John Kitzhaber’s signature, was one of the few bills to pass this session with unanimous support in both the House and the Senate. Read More >>

Soda Tax on the Menu for Oregon Legislature

Advocates likely face intense lobbying pressure from the soda industry if the bill even gets a chance
January 19, 2011 – Oregon public health advocates want the legislature to consider a new tax on soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages that would generate around $100 million annually. Read More >>
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