Danone awards innovators for postpartum nutrition, food as medicine initiatives and food upcycling program

28 Sep 2023 --- Danone is funding projects across the Americas that promote nutrition and sustainable food systems. The five winners – each receiving US$50,000 – include a sustainable farming project in Puerto Rico, a tech solution to unhealthy diets, a food-as-medicine program, a college campus nutrition initiative and a postpartum nutrition project.

The winning teams were announced by the Danone Institute of North America (DINA) on September 27 and the projects are set to be completed by 2025. 

“The social and economic effects of changes in the food environment have magnified the fragility and inequity in our food systems, and the 2023 grantees are building community-based programs that can mitigate the impacts on vulnerable communities,” says Dr. Leslie Lytle, president of Danone Institute North America. 

“We are inspired by their commitment to create a healthier world through food and look forward to helping them advance their programs in the two years ahead.”Most winning teams emphasize the importance of organic, locally sourced food for nutrition and sustainability.

Locally-sourced food and regenerative farming 
Recipients of the 2023 DINA Sustainable Food Systems Initiative grants include researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Fundación de Investigación Science and Education (San Juan). The teams are dedicated to tackling the issues of overweight and obesity within the communities of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

These health concerns have led to high rates of conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and food insecurity.

Their project, “La Cajita Mutua” (The Collective Box), aims to enhance the accessibility of locally sourced, nutritious and sustainably grown foods. This endeavor seeks to bolster food security, promote social connectedness and improve the cardiometabolic health of the local population.

Another winning team, composed of the Tufts University and A Recipe4Health team from California, US, to enhance access to nutritious food for communities in Alameda County, all while adhering to ecological limits.

Solutions will be provided through Recipe4Health (R4H), which procures organic produce from regenerative farms to support low-income individuals and families.

Postpartum solutions and college nutrition
Another winning team includes researchers from the University of Texas at Austin, Ascension Texas, Cooks Nook Austin and Farmshare Austin. Their focus is to tackle the challenge of ensuring sufficient postpartum nutrition. 

This initiative falls under the Food is the Best Medicine project and will be implemented over eight weeks.  During this time, new mothers facing food insecurity in Austin, Texas, US, will receive weekly boxes containing fully prepared, nutritious meals and food kits sourced from local farms.Food insecurity on college campuses was identified  as a significant issue by one of the winning teams.

In Montreal, Quebec, Canada, a winning team from McGill University has proposed a “Diet Impact Simulator and Health Dashboard.” The tool aims to empower consumers by providing insights into the potential environmental consequences of their dietary choices.

The University of Tennessee Knoxville winning team has identified a pressing concern of a higher prevalence of poor nutrition and food insecurity on college campuses compared to other communities.

Their project, known as “food4VOLS,” seeks to address this issue by creating a food-upcycling program. This program repurposes surplus food from on-campus foodservice facilities into convenient heat-and-serve meals, with the dual goals of reducing food waste and enhancing meal accessibility.

Intensive training to begin
Now that the winners have been determined, they will gather for an intensive training program in October. During this program, one of the teams will receive an additional US$10,000 for the best communications plan, as evaluated by the DINA board of directors.

DINA is a non-profit organization founded by Danone North America in 1997. It is dedicated to advancing transdisciplinary, community-driven initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable food systems in both the US and Canada.

DINA’s Board of Directors comprises a diverse group of individuals, including independent experts in nutrition science and business leaders from Danone North America Public Benefit Corporation. 

The nutrition scientists on the board play a role in shaping program direction, determining funding recipients and actively participating in all of DINA’s initiatives. 

Meanwhile, the Danone North America managers provide support for communication, program development and management expertise to ensure the success of DINA’s programs. 

By Milana Nikolova

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