Lisa Helfman on why “Produce Matters”
Founder Lisa Helfman and nutrition expert Dr. Shreela Sharma provide fresh and healthy food options to families living far away from supermarkets.
Houston organization Brighter Bites (BB) was recently named the winner of the 2018 PHA Impact Award by The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA). Food Tank recently sat down with Lisa Helfman, the founder of Houston-based BB, which is dedicated to bringing healthy food choices to families living in food swamps across the United States. We talked about the charity, the problem of food swamps, and just what it is that BB is able to do to conquer unhealthy eating in America.
What is Brighter Bites?
When Lisa Helfman and her family begin to source their produce from a weekly fruit and vegetable co-op, she witnessed her children begin to crave ‘nature’s candy’ more than cakes and cookies. This inspired her to try to bring this same sea change to others in Texas, particularly those living in so-called food deserts.
She knew that if her picky six year old could prefer blueberries to cake that others out there would feel the same, especially if they could access it for free. Lisa questioned - “If I can have this change in my house, how do I bring the same change to underserved communities that lack access to fresh produce, but childhood obesity and other related illnesses are really high?” As nutrition education in disadvantaged schools can be lacking, Lisa knew that she might be able to bring a new perspective to local children. Her dream of bringing a fruit and veggie co-op to local schools was born.
In 2012, Lisa got started on making her dream come to fruition—literally. She initiated a collaborative partnership with nutritionist Dr. Shreela Sharma, a professor of epidemiology at UTHealth School of Public Health, and the Houston Food Bank. Since this time, Brighter Bites has helped Houston parents and children get their hands on more than 18 million pounds of fresh veggies and fruit. They have also contributed to facilitate access to nutrition education materials for more than 265,000 teachers, students, and parents across the USA.
What is a food swamp?
Food swamps are areas where low-income residents have limited access to nutritious, fresh food at affordable prices. These geographic areas lack supermarkets and grocery stores, meaning that residents cannot easily buy fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fresh protein. As a result, they are forced to buy processed food at a highly marked up retail price.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that as of 2010, more than 23.5 million Americans live in an area classified as a food swamp. This is defined as residing more than one mile from a supermarket in urban areas, and greater than 10 miles in rural areas.
Brighter Bites believes that eating should be full of joy, nutrition, and abundance, but for so many children and parents around the world, it is an activity fraught with anxiety and limited choices. For families living in the countless food swamps found throughout the USA, accessing fresh, wholesome food is not always possible. When it is available, it comes at a prohibitive cost—it is priced far above their budgets.
So, what is available in their price range? Boxed, pre-packaged, and highly processed foods. These options might be tasty and cheap at the moment, but their health consequences are far-reaching. Lisa and her team want to battle these unhealthy choices and help to facilitate a healthy and delicious future for the families in these food deserts.
How does Brighter Bites successfully help people gain access to fresh food?
The entire team at Brighter Bites is dedicated to helping people living in food swamps access and eat healthier choices. From whole grains to fresh produce and healthy proteins, BB believes in a different version of ‘fast food’—fun, wholesome, and good for growing bodies.
Lisa, Shreela, and their team can make this happen using a varied approach to their produce distribution. It has been shown that most kids in the US do not eat an adequate amount of fruit and vegetables and that this rate is even lower amongst minority populations. Brighter Bites counteracts this by bringing loads of produce into schools and community centers each week and helping kids and parents learn about their ingredients.
Every week, they bring fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables to places where parents and teachers can pick them up. Each family is entitled to take two bags of produce, which weigh roughly 20 to 25 pounds, and contain approximately 50 servings of healthy food. That is enough for two meals per day per person for a family of four. While this isn’t the recommended amount, it is certainly a start. The cost of these healthy groceries would be an average of US$34.30 per week at the grocery store, representing a huge saving for the families involved.
Each week, volunteers and staff assess the fruits and vegetables donated by suppliers and choose eight to 12 varieties. The produce is selected for its quality, safety, and, of course, its tastiness. After all, if Brighter Bites supplied bland, tasteless, or spoiled produce to their families, these kids might be soured on the experience—and soured on healthy eating choices.
The families who participate in the Brighter Bites program have reported a substantive increase in home cooking and family meals together. Even more encouraging is the data that shows that they have consumed more fruits and vegetables, less added sugar, and have cultivated healthier snacking habits.