“Food Check-Out Week seeks to improve health, help farmers” |
| Food Check-Out Week seeks to improve health, help farmers Posted: 22 Feb 2011 05:55 PM PST Credit: MORNING NEWS/JOHN D. RUSSELL Sonny and Ann Musso shop for produce at the Piggly Wiggly on West Palmetto Street on Tuesday, February 22, 2011. February 20 to 26 is Food Check-Out Week and is an effort by the American Farm Bureau and focuses on helping Americans learn how to stretch their grocery dollars with healthy and nutritious food. FLORENCE, SC -- The Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee is hoping people will think about how to make every dollar count with healthy, nutritious food. Food Check-Out Week, Feb. 20- 26, an effort born from S.C. Farm Bureau members, aims to show how dollars can stretch further if they are used to buy healthy food. Darlington native Betty Dewitt was instrumental in starting the now nationwide event when she was serving as the Women's Committee Southern Representative for the American Farm Bureau. Dewitt represented 13 Southern states and, during a South Carolina bureau meeting in the mid-'90s, those gathered were trying to come up with a way to promote how everyone benefits from what farmers do. One person in attendance was Hugh Weathers, now the state agriculture commissioner. He proposed that there should be a day to showcase that, much like Tax-Free Weekend. Dewitt took the proposal to the Farm Bureau Women's Committee and the rest was history. Food Check-Out Day coincides with the time of year when a typical American has earned enough income to pay for the entire year's food supply. A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report shows the price of readily available fresh fruits and vegetables has remained stable, whereas prices for desserts and snack foods has risen, over the years. On that same note, according to a 2009 study by the USDA, American families and individuals on average spend less that 10 percent of their disposable income for food. That percentage is the lowest in the world. "Learning to use your grocery dollars wisely helps ensure that nutrition isn't neglected," Frances Price, S.C. Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee chairwoman and member of the American Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee, said in a press release. The Farm Bureau offers educational materials to help consumers with topics such as nutrition, portion size and understanding food labels. When shopping for food the Farm Bureau suggests having a plan before heading to the grocery store and shopping smart when arriving. It also suggests having a food budget, preparing a shopping list, planning for leftovers and comparing prices. Don't buy food unless you're sure you'll eat it and check out your local farmers' markets for fresh food. "Fruits and vegetables — along with whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, beans, eggs and nuts — are an important part of a healthy diet," Price said. "Buying fresh produce when it's in season and costs less, while buying frozen fruits and vegetables when they're not is season is a smart way to stretch that dollar." SC Farm Bureau volunteers all week are donating funds and food to Ronald McDonald Houses in Greenville, Columbia and Charleston so that families staying at the houses can benefit. In Florence, volunteers donated to the McLeod Guest House, said Judy Brigman, of the Florence County Farm Bureau Women's Leadership Committee. The McLeod Guest House is a place where families of patients from out of town are able to stay at a reduced rate while their loved ones are receiving treatment from McLeod Health. "We felt like it was important to support people in our community and the McLeod Guest House is important to helping families," she said. Dewitt said she never imagined 13 years ago the program would have become the annual national event that it is. "I'm pleased that the idea has gotten as large as it has and that hopefully the message will get out to the general public that everyone benefits greatly from the work of the farmer," she said. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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