Healthy Food For All

Food security requires two tasks: Feed the hungry now, and end hunger ASAP. Food security includes health care and job quality issues New Mexico Association of Food Banks provides emergency food for an estimated 240,000 people annually. NM ranks 49th in children's food insecurity (120,000 or 24% of all children are unsure of their next meal). Seventeen percent of all NM households are food insecure; 6% undergo daily chronic hunger; 18% live below the poverty line, limiting their ability to purchase enough and healthier foodstuffs. Many citizens lack access to healthy diets because of travel distances to good grocery stores. Rural groceries sell food at higher prices than urban. Nutrition-related diabetes II and obesity levels exceed US averages.

Dreams include: state-wide farm-to-school and food-to-elder programs; school gardens; tax credits for good groceries in food deserts; more local and fresh food from food banks; combine jobs with food access; bio-safety in the food chain; and nutrition education tied to health care.