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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Carolina Espinosa, Program Director of SNAP-Ed at BronxWorks
2:27:38
ยท
115 sec
Carolina Espinosa, Program Director of SNAP-Ed at BronxWorks, testified in support of a bill to increase healthy options in kids' meals at restaurants. She shared her experience in nutrition education and healthy retail strategies in the Bronx, emphasizing the need for policies that promote healthier food choices in communities.
- Espinosa highlighted the prevalence of unhealthy food marketing in Bronx communities and the competition between affordable healthy food and attractive, easy-to-eat options.
- BronxWorks' SNAP-Ed program provides nutrition education and physical activity programming to youth and adults, including grocery store tours.
- As a licensed registered dietitian, Espinosa urged support for the bill to improve health outcomes in the community.
Carolina Espinosa
2:27:38
Thank you, chair Schulman and members of the Council Committee on Health, for the opportunity to testify here today.
2:27:44
My name is Carolina Espinosa.
2:27:46
For the past 9 years, I have been an employee of a local nonprofit called BronxWorks where our mission is to help individuals and families improve their economic and social well-being.
2:27:57
Currently, I am the program director for the SNAP Ed Nutrition Education and Obesity Prevention Program.
2:28:02
And I'm also a licensed registered dietitian.
2:28:05
My work at BronxWorks is to lead a team of nutrition educators, many of whom are Bronx natives, to go out into the Bronx community and implement evidence based nutrition interventions with different age groups from youth to older adults.
2:28:17
We also work on food environment strategies, specifically healthy retail, to help make the healthy choice the easy choice for community members in the stores where they shop and eat.
2:28:27
Our SNAP Ed nutrition education program provides after school youth with nutrition education and physical activity programming daily throughout the school year.
2:28:35
Part of this curricula is to learn about food marketing and food labeling to make healthy inform so they can make healthy informed decisions.
2:28:42
For the adult population, we cover a range of nutrition topics and conduct grocery store tours led by a nutritionist to show community members how to shop for healthy options and stay within budget.
2:28:54
Through our work with SNAP Ed and the Healthy Retail Program these past 9 years, we are aware of how prevalent unhealthy food marketing is in Bronx communities.
2:29:03
Access to affordable, healthy food is in competition with food in stores and restaurants that are designed designed to be attractive and easy to eat.
2:29:11
Policies that align with the work we do on SNAP Ed and support healthy choices in food establishments such as restaurants will have a greater impact on improved health outcomes.
2:29:21
As an expert in the field of nutritional sciences and community health, I urge you to support this important bill that will help increase the number of healthy options for kids in kids' meals and restaurants.
2:29:32
Thank you for your time.
Lynn Schulman
2:29:33
Thank you.