Collaborative, community-based policies can foster a healthier local food system, improving access and making produce more visible via schools, corner markets, farmers markets, neighborhood gardens, mobile businesses, and more.

Supporting increased access to fruits and vegetables was identified by our community as an action, that when combined with other actions in our community, that has a reasonable chance of making a difference in obesity in our community. This is a new program in our community.

The priority population for this program is decision-makers at various community organizations, and the program aims to make a difference at the organizational/policy level. Implementation will take place in schools, childcare facilities, restaurants, and community organizations.

This program will support the efforts begun by BZP Food Action Committee, which addresses food retail, food and nutrition in schools and childcare facilities, and access to local sources of food. Policies might include examples such as menu changes to include healthier and/or plant-based options, promotion of sourcing from local farms, or supporting access to community gardens. 

The partners for this program include:

The "Story Behind the Curve" helps us understand the causes and forces at that work that explain the data behind food policies and the resources the community plans to commit to address the health issue.

What's Helping What We Do? These are the positive forces at work in our program that influence how much we do or how well we do it.

• Support from Blue Zones Project - Brevard and Healthy Communities staff. Partnerships with staff at schools, restaurants, food pantries, and community organizations. Support from community organizations like Hunger Coalition.
• Momentum driven by enthusiasm around Blue Zones Project and adoption of policies by other community organizations

What's Hurting What We Do? These are the negative forces at work in our program that influence how much we do or how well we do it.

• Relunctance to adopt "restrictions" on food and beverage options. Resistance to outsider advice. 
• Concern that increased cost and possibly less demand for healthier options could lead to revenue loss
• Limited capacity and turnover of staff who assist with food policy work

What's Helping Communities Served/Customer Change? These are the positive forces at work in our program that influence customer change.

• Popular interest in healthy eating among some populations - support for making "the healthy choice the easy choice"

What's Hurting Communities Served/Customer Change? These are the negative forces at work in our program that influence customer change.

• Ingrained habits and behaviors

The following actions have been identified by our community as ideas for what can work for this performance measure to make a difference on obesity.

Actions and Approaches Identified by Our Community These are actions and approaches that we think can make a difference for this performance measure.

• Collaboration across sectors and organizations to work together
• Adoption of best practices for schools and childcare centers

No-cost and Low-cost Ideas Identified by Our Community These are no-cost and low-cost actions and approaches that we think can make a difference for this performance measure.

• Offering water instead of sweetened beverages or juice

What your communities served/customers think would work to do better These are actions and approaches that our communities served/customers think can make a difference for this performance measure.

• Support access to food from community gardens and local farms
• Pursue funding to support implementation of policies

List of Questions/Research Agenda These are questions to follow-up on for this performance measure.

• none identified at this time

Work continues in partnership with Blue Zones Project - Brevard to support "making the healthy choice the easy choice" as well as access to locally sourced foods in schools, businesses, and restaurants. This includes shaping food policy to increase consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and ensuring access for all residents. Blue Zones Project – Brevard helped create the Transylvania County Food Coalition to serve as a mechanism to assess food needs and focus resources to areas that need help most.

In addition, collaboration with Hunger Coalition of Transylvania County supports access to healthy food options at food pantries and mobile markets.

The Blue Zones Project - Brevard received certification and the project ended in March 2023. Through its support of the Transylvania County Food Coalition, a total of five policies were adopted in 2022 and 2023 to improve the local food system. A new non-profit, "Sparkpoint" was formed in April 2023 to expand similar efforts to the entire county. SparkPoint was awarded a CDC grant in partnership with the Town of Rosman to support healthier eating and community connections involving multiple community partners.

Collaboration with Hunger Coalition of Transylvania County continues to supports access to healthy food options at food pantries and mobile markets.