PIERRE, S.D. (KELO.com) – As food prices keep rising, a new report found nearly a third of respondents around the Mount Rushmore State skip meals to stretch their budgets.
The first-ever South Dakota Food Landscape Assessment showed food cost is the biggest issue for respondents, pointing out 13 counties in the state have food insecurity rates higher than the national average.
Jen Noll Folliard, steering committee member for the South Dakota Healthy Nutrition Collaborative and co-author of the assessment, said the purpose of the outreach is to improve access to healthy foods. “We wanted to take a snapshot of what was happening, where the gaps are, where we’re doing a good job and then really what our next steps are going to be is working to identify and prioritize actions as a state,” Noll Folliard outlined.
Noll Folliard noted South Dakotans can learn more and share their ideas at a series of gatherings called “The Future of Food.” The first of the community conversations is Sept. 16, in Pierre and four more will follow throughout the month. The state health department, a partner in the assessment, has an interactive dashboard featuring food and nutrition data.
Tony Burke, government relations director and region team lead for the American Heart Association, said access to healthy food is critical for long-term health, especially heart health. He noted the organization’s Presidential Advisory, published several years ago, shows Americans are on an alarming trajectory unless things change.
“By 2050, if we don’t change our current habits around physical activity, around nutrition and other things, we’re going to have 62% of our population have some form of cardiovascular disease,” Burke reported. He added the cost of managing and treating the diseases would be staggering, at around $1.8 trillion in 2050. Noll Folliard stressed the Food Landscape Assessment is just the beginning and hopes it helps develop a larger food system plan for the state.
“That plan can be three to five years, where you have statewide organizations, local organizations, community-led organizations that are all buying in and also providing input on what this plan should be for the state,” Noll Folliard emphasized.
The South Dakota Healthy Nutrition Collaborative includes healthcare and education organizations, tribal communities, local groups and state agencies.
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