The Partnership for a Healthier America has launched the Good Good Food campaign in Indianapolis, aiming to increase access to fresh, healthy food.

The effort kicked off with a midweek event on Monument Circle, marking Indianapolis as part of a coalition to double the consumption of produce by 2030.

As part of the launch, PHA awarded $10,000 grants to eight local organizations in Indianapolis to help provide access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

The grants are slated to support a variety of initiatives, including produce credits for families in need and technical assistance for local groups.

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Bearing a bumper crop of basil, rosemary, and sage, Community Health Registered Dietician Carole Corder delivers a savory message: Eat more herbs and spices.

Corder contends there are several benefits from her spicy suggestions. The first upside is added flavor without the dangers of salt, the most popular seasoning.

Many herbs and spices carry powerful benefits for the body. “Herbs are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and antioxidants,” she explained. “We’re all looking for ways to reduce the effects of stress in our lives -the negative effects- and adding herbs to our foods is one way to do it. So they’re very strong and powerful antioxidants.”

Corder loves fresh herbs and encourages growing them, but she says dried store-bought versions are fine, too, and carry similar health benefits.

She also says recipes do not need to be complicated to deliver positive health effects.

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Fred Glass, head of Gleaners Food Bank, gave a stark warning about proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which could lead to a humanitarian and economic disaster in Indiana and across the country.

The proposed cuts are part of the President’s spending proposal and involve a $300 billion reduction in SNAP funding, with Indiana facing a potential loss of $353 million. This reduction would translate to 133 million fewer meals for Hoosiers in need, affecting 610,000 residents who rely on the program, including 264,000 children and 90,000 senior citizens.

“The facts really speak for themselves, and they needed to be said,” Glass said. Glass expressed hope that the Senate, as the more deliberative body, would reconsider the proposed cuts, stating, “Hopefully, the Senate will find that that’s too high a price to be paid to fund tax cuts for the wealthy.”

Glass highlighted that the SNAP program has historically been federally funded, with no state money involved. He pointed out that the entire charitable food system in Indiana, comprising 11 food banks, created 108 million meals last year, which isn’t enough to cover the shortfall if the cuts proceed. He also addressed misconceptions about SNAP recipients, noting that they are often working individuals, children, disabled, or elderly people; not people taking advantage of the system.

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