Nutrition is an interesting issue at food banks. In the history of food banks, it was often an accepted notion that the food provided there was enough for people to get by on, but wasn’t going to win any prizes for best diet practices, as it tended to be carbohydrate-heavy, starchy, sugary, and fatty. In some ways the food bank diet just mimicked the national diet, and reflected what trickled down in the supply chain. As food distribution and acquisition methods have evolved, this notion is changing, and food banks grow more nutritious and more nutrition-conscious with each passing year.

Other changes have been brought about by the evolution in American cooking and grocery products during the past 20 years (prompted by improved transportation and storage, gourmets, organic farming, and food media such as magazines and television). Food banks now see a wider variety of products than ever before, even occasionally specialty items. An example would be whole grain artisan breads. The most nutritious, this is the last bread to go, and doesn’t go unless it’s the only bread left in the food bank, because many of our customers are not used to it. This bread does go stale more quickly because it typically contains less or no preservatives and is often packaged differently. It’s true that it passes a point where it’s hard to use unless you were to grind it for bread crumbs. However there is a shelf life, during which it’s getting a harder shell but can still be delicious and easily refreshed with a little water in an oven or microwave, or used in stuffings, dressings, bread puddings, etc.

Fresh produce is also not as popular as we would like, again because many food bank patrons are not used to it. Both whole grain breads and fresh produce are expensive in the stores. Most people struggling or on a budget will buy instant, quicker cooking, and cheaper groceries in order to make ends meet. In the struggle to pay for groceries, nutrition often loses. For the same reasons, research has shown it’s actually a shorter distance between hunger and obesity than you would think, particularly in children and teens. If you’re struggling with poverty and hunger, then you’re not only struggling with the issue of not enough food, but also a lack of the right food — in fact, food which makes you hungrier precisely because of its lack of nutrition, and is more likely to cause diabetes and obesity.

At ShareNet, we like to provide education and problem-solving tools as well, yet it’s the kind of education that’s not always welcome. It’s hard to break old habits and old ways of eating, and a struggle to incorporate good nutrition into a food bank. The balance of providing products that are useful, that may be meal makers or meal-extenders, and also nutritious is challenging. We like to remind our community that food banks must purchase 85 percent of their food. Our food bank has a policy, for example, of not purchasing foods that are obviously unhealthy: sugary juices or cereals, desserts or snacks. If you see something like that in our food bank, it’s been donated, and we hope people understand it as a treat, not to be relied upon as nutritious. We’d like people to know there are good, healthy choices that can be made even at a food bank, and that the nutritional difference is made in making the right choice.