SRCP Current Activities

Award Recipients (FY16 funding)

The map below shows the 2016–2021 SRCP award recipients. Download the funding map [PDF-335K].

2016–2021 Awardees

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health ($395,000) has been funded to partner with public and private hospitals, senior meal programs, and higher learning institutions in the county and surrounding areas of Southern California, such as San Diego County. In addition to the required activities of the program, the grantee plans to establish a food distributor recognition program that encourages increased availability of lower sodium food products to make those items more affordable for food service institutions.

Los Angeles County is engaging manufacturers, distributors, and food service management companies to garner support for increasing access to lower sodium foods. These organizations participate in the county’s Healthy Food Procurement Advisory Committee by providing expertise and technical assistance.

Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County (Marion County Public Health Department, Indianapolis)

Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County (Marion County Public Health Department, Indianapolis) ($290,250) is focusing efforts on two large worksites and two congregate meal entities serving older adults, persons with disabilities, and at-risk children. Marion County engages the food service operators of worksites and meal programs.

The grantee plans to appoint a registered dietitian to work with vendors to assess and monitor foods purchased based on the following:

• Costs
• Nutrient analyses of recipes, menu items, or menu packages
• Consumer purchasing practices and acceptance of meals
• Environmental or behavioral opportunities for change
• Other complementary elements of media and partnership engagement

New York State Department of Health (in collaboration with Onondaga County, Rockland County, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County)

New York State Department of Health ($395,000) will partner with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County, Onondaga County Department of Health, and Rockland County Department of Health. The three organizations were selected to work in four counties (Erie, Niagara, Onondaga, and Rockland).

This initiative will target children in early child care education centers to help reduce the risk of future high blood pressure and to accustom these children to the taste of lower sodium foods. The program will also target students enrolled in colleges and universities located in the four counties.

Strategies include implementing formal food service guidelines, including the following:

• Gradual reductions of sodium targets for different food categories
• Identification of lower sodium products with distributors
• Training of staff at both venues on techniques and changes to products, recipes, or portion sizes
• Venue-specific behavior modification approaches to increase demand or access to lower sodium food

The New York State Office of General Services, which facilitates food procurement contracts—as well as two food service distributors—has committed to supporting the project by highlighting reduced sodium products that entities can easily identify and purchase.

Fund for Public Health NYC (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene)

Fund for Public Health in New York City (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene) ($395,000) will continue lowering consumers’ sodium intake by increasing the implementation of sodium reduction procurement practices and food and nutrition standards at city agencies, learning institutions, and health care providers.

To facilitate this strategy, New York City is integrating a nutrition labeling system—called Good Choice—into two large distributors’ online ordering systems that reach national and local customers. The health department provides technical assistance for carrying out food and nutrition standards and trainings and educational resources about the Good Choice program to both partner venues and distributors to simplify the identification and ordering of lower sodium foods.

Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division

Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division ($395,000) works with partners to target meals served by three of the largest government agency purchasers of food in Oregon: the Oregon Department of Corrections, Oregon Department of Education, and Oregon State Hospital. Oregon also collaborates with Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center to conduct consumer sensory testing related to lower sodium products and build the statewide demand for, and therefore supply of, lower sodium foods. 

Philadelphia Department of Health

Philadelphia Department of Public Health ($395,000)plans to work with up to 20 Asian buffet restaurants and several municipal congregate meal programs serving nutritionally vulnerable youth, seniors, and adults. The city partners with local manufacturers and the Drexel Food Lab to reformulate products that are high in sodium or have difficulty in complying with city procurement standards (e.g., breads, rolls) while maintaining appeal to restaurant and food service managers based on product quality, safety, shelf life, consumer acceptance, and cost.

Support from community and cultural groups—such as Temple University’s Center for Asian Health, the Asian Community Health Coalition, and the Greater Philadelphia Chinese Restaurant Association—will facilitate carrying out interventions for food procurement and preparation at the venue level.

Seattle-King County Department of Health

Public Health—Seattle and King County ($339,700) carries out interventions in partnership with high-need school districts of the School District Nutrition Services Learning Network (the Learning Network).

During the first year of the project, the health department selected two area public school districts with over 50% of students receiving free and reduced-price meals. The schools will participate in activities such as the following:

• Increasing condiment choices
• Coordinating directly with food suppliers to evaluate and develop new recipes
• Establishing and testing “flavor stations”
• Carrying out sodium reduction practices

The health department also works with two major emergency food organizations to use existing relationships with major food suppliers, identify cost-neutral or lower cost lower sodium products, conduct trainings, and provide technical assistance with six local food banks and meal programs on policies, procurement guidelines, and behavior economics.

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences ($394,999) engages schools and congregate meal distribution programs to carry out comprehensive sodium reduction strategies. An advisory committee includes venue-specific experts, food system partners, and community partners. The committee will collaborate to assess the food environment and prioritize the planned series of interventions that address the venues’ need for food service guidelines or nutrition standards, changes in procurement practices, meal and menu modifications, and behavioral economic schemes.

Outcomes

Awardees’ activities are looking to produce the following outcomes:

Short-term (Project years 1–2)

1. Increased implementation of food service guidelines or standards that include sodium.
2. Increased integration of procurement practices to reduce sodium content in purchased items.
3. Increased implementation of food preparation practices to reduce sodium content of meals or menu items.
4. Increased implementation of environmental strategies or behavioral economics approaches.

Intermediate (Project years 2–3)

1. Increased availability of lower sodium food products.
2. Increased purchase or selection of lower sodium food products or ingredients by either consumers or large food service operators.

Long-term (Project years 4–5)

1. Reduced sodium intake to within the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended maximum.

Evaluation results are collected and measured by CDC-established performance measures coupled with local evaluation that is customized by the awardee and a national, cross-site evaluation that is conducted through a federal contract.