Background/Objectives: Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is associated with child obesity, an understudied issue in the southern United States, where obesity rates are the highest in the country. We examined the factors associated with high SSB intakes among children aged 2–12 years in two major cities in Louisiana, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using an online survey. The sample consisted of caregivers of children aged 2–12 years who eat restaurant meals (either dine-in, delivery, or take-out) at least once a month and reside in or near New Orleans or Baton Rouge, LA. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine factors associated with high child SSB intake frequency (≥4 times/week), including restaurant use, caregiver attitudes towards SSB, and their demographics (n = 1006). Results: Most caregivers reported weekly child SSB consumption (74.6% ≥ 1×/week; 38.1% ≥ 4+/week) and restaurant use (58.8% ≥ 1×/week). High SSB frequency (≥4+/week) was associated with a higher frequency of restaurant use, lower caregiver education, agreement with the statement that SSBs are an important part of family meals, and disagreement with the statement that restaurants should not offer SSBs with children’s meals (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our results revealed a high frequency of SSB consumption among children who dine at restaurants monthly, with significant associations observed between SSB intake, restaurant meals, and pro-SSB attitudes. These findings may support the need for regulations, such as healthy default beverage policies for children’s menus, to potentially reduce SSB intake and shift social norms, particularly in regions with high childhood obesity rates like Louisiana and the southern USA.

Background: School meal programs are critical to reducing childhood food insecurity. This study identified challenges and innovations in school meal service in a disaggregated charter school system during COVID-19 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative key informant interviews were conducted with school officials and school food providers. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded. Using an immersion-crystallization approach, patterns were identified. Results: Nine participants described challenges and solutions/innovations in food service focused around five themes: food service, procurement and costs, staffing, communication and outreach, and collaborations and partnerships. Participants faced challenges in meal service logistics, procuring food and supplies, staffing shortages, timely communication, lack of city-wide coordination, and the need to rapidly shift operations due to an evolving pandemic. While the disaggregated system created challenges in a city-wide response, the decentralized system along with policy changes offered opportunities for flexibility and innovation in meal programs through new partnership and coordination between schools and community, development of new processes for food service and procurement, and diverse modes of communication. Conclusion: These findings add to the understanding of challenges faced and innovations implemented to continue school meal programs in a disaggregated school system. Collaboration with community organizations, leveraging resources, coordinated communication, and policies allowing for flexibility were key to response and should be encouraged to build capacity and resiliency in emergencies. In future city-wide emergency preparedness planning efforts, school leaders and food providers should be included in the planning to ensure continued equitable food access for students.

Childhood obesity and related health consequences are associated with sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and present significant health challenges in the U.S., particularly among minoritized and low-income populations. Louisiana, with some of the highest obesity and cardiometabolic disease rates in the U.S., exemplifies these concerns. Dining out increases sugar-sweetened beverage intake and underscores the need for interventions. This observational study examines the proportion of restaurants offering beverages with children’s meals on printed and QR code menus, the types of beverages they offer, and correlates of offering these beverages across 287 restaurants in New Orleans, Louisiana, before its healthy default beverage policy was implemented and in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which does not have a healthy default beverage policy. On-site environmental assessments were conducted in restaurants offering children’s menus. Only 14.6% of restaurants with children’s meals offered only healthy default beverage options, 39.4% offered sugar-sweetened beverages, and 46% did not specify children’s beverages on their menus. Logistic regression analysis indicated that restaurants categorized as fast food, affiliated with a chain, or offering children's meals with age restrictions were significantly more likely to include beverages in their children's meals. Furthermore, chain and fast-food restaurants were more likely than fast-casual restaurants to include only healthy default beverages on the children’s menus. Ultimately, this research contributes to the broader discourse on improving nutritional environments in restaurant settings and underscores the need for evidence-based interventions to mitigate the impact of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption on childhood obesity and health outcomes. The findings provide a foundation for future studies evaluating the effectiveness of healthy default beverage policies.

Purpose. This study identified restaurant manager/owner factors that may contribute to adoption of a restaurant-based healthy eating program, Eat Fit. Findings may be used to engage restaurants in efforts to increase access to and availability of healthy foods, promote healthy food choices, and work toward improving diet and lowering obesity and chronic disease risk in the community. Methods. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from restaurant managers/owners interested in partnering with Eat Fit. Variables included restaurant manager/owner beliefs, perceived staff knowledge/skills, support, self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, and barriers and facilitators to implementation. Results. Forty-nine managers/owners participated. Most managers/owners held positive beliefs about offering healthy food items in restaurants (83.7%). Most agreed that restaurants could influence eating behaviors (83.7%) and that restaurants have a responsibility to offer healthy options (77.6%). Most managers/owners perceived high levels of support (83.7%) and were confident in their ability (95.9%) to implement the Eat Fit program. The most cited barriers were customer preference, ingredient availability, staff knowledge, and operational challenges. The most common reasons for involvement in the program were a desire to increase access to healthy food, to entice customers looking for healthier food, a belief that restaurants should offer healthy food, and opportunities to market through Eat Fit. Conclusions. This research contributes to knowledge about beliefs and perceptions of restaurant manager/owners. Efforts to engage restaurants should focus on benefits of offering healthy food and the role restaurants can play in promoting health. Furthermore, programs may benefit from enhanced restaurant staff training, customer-targeted marketing, and educational efforts.

Background/Objectives: Policies to promote healthy eating often work through local food systems, which link food supply chains and food environments to individuals. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in national and global supply chains and emphasized the importance of local food systems in meeting community and individual needs. Unfortunately, we know too little about how to shape local food systems. This case study reports the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the New Orleans food system and the subsequent response from the community and local government to strengthen it through city and state policy changes, public–private collaborations, and grassroots citizens’ efforts. Methods: This study uses a participant–observer approach in which observations from an online 2020 survey of local food organizations (n = 56) were fielded by the New Orleans Food Policy Action Council (FPAC), a local coalition of food and agriculture groups. The authors, who worked with or were a part of FPAC, analyzed survey data for recurrent themes and then synthesized this with archived written materials and the authors’ own observations. Results: Key themes from this survey are detailed, along with an exploration of related efforts within the community, including: (1) Greaux the Good, a campaign developed by local food system stakeholders to successfully advocate for increased food assistance funds from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; (2) policy change related to food vendor permitting; and (3) establishment of two positions within the local government: a City Food Specialist to increase collaboration between organizations in the food system and an Urban Agriculture Liaison to support local food production. Lastly, innovative programs of grassroots citizens’ organizations are detailed due to their positive impact on food access for community members. Conclusions: The cumulative impacts of these efforts added to the resiliency of the local food system and may protect it against the effects of future disasters as well as strengthen its ability to promote healthy eating.