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The Mississippi Food Policy Council has launched its own website. Visit www.mississippifoodpolicycouncil.com to see meeting minutes, resources, events, and other information. You can also find the MFPC on Facebook here.
The Issue
It is no secret that Mississippi is ranked as the heaviest state in the nation. In 2009, 67.8% of people living in Mississippi were either overweight or obese. F as in Fat: How Obesity Rates are Failing in America, a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, suggests that one reason for this startling statistic is that many Americans do not have the adequate access or funds to buy healthy foods. As David Ludwig and Harold Pollack state in Journal of the American Medical Association, “Economic adversity induces consumers to replace nutritious but expensive produce with less costly, high-calorie, commodity- based products.” In order to combat this disparity, The Mississippi Food Policy Council is leading the fight to make healthier foods available to all individuals and to allow small farmers and producers to enter local markets in Mississippi by:
- Supporting the establishment of the Mississippi Healthy Foods Advisory Committee which will study areas of the state that are underserved in the retail availability of healthy foods and the impact of the limited retail availability on Mississippi residents. Details about the committee can be found in the MS House Bill 1170 here.
- Advocating to allow the use of SNAP/EBT (food stamps) at farmers markets around the state.
- Working to expand Farm to School programs within Mississippi.
- Advocating for sensible regulations that allow for in-home production of some low risk food items.
- Working to eliminate barriers to the third-party sale of produce.
- Promoting school and community gardens.
What is a Food Policy Council?
Food Policy Councils (FPCs) provide a unique forum for diverse stakeholders to come together and address common concerns regarding food policy including food systems, food security, farm policy, food regulations, health, and nutrition. Stakeholders include people such as farmers, city and state officials, non-profit organizations, chefs, food distributors, food justice advocates, educators, health professionals, and concerned citizens. FPCs bring together these stakeholders to share concerns and then utilize this diverse membership to act on common goals, thus influencing and shaping food policy.
More information about the Mississippi Food Policy Council
The Mississippi Food Policy Council was established in April of 2010 and is comprised of stakeholders focused on issues such as hunger, farming, health, nutrition and policy. The steering committee has been comprised of organizations such as: Mississippi Health Advocacy Program, Harvard Law School, Real Food Gulf Coast, Delta Directions Consortium, Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, Mississippi Poultry Association, Mississippi Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association, Indianola Main Street/Indianola Farmers Market, Cole Farms, North Delta Produce Growers Association, Delta Fresh Foods, Mississippi Roadmap to Health Equity, Mississippi Farm Bureau, Gulf Coast Health Educators, and Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi. Individuals from Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi, and several government agencies are also involved.
The mission of the MS Food Policy Council is to advocate for food and farm policies that build healthy communities and strengthen local food systems.
Mississippi Food Policy Council Board Members
Current Members of the Mississippi Food Policy Council
The Mississippi Food Policy Council recently began soliciting members. For more information about membership or to join, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Organizations:
- Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi
- Cole Farms
- Delta Fresh Foods Initiative
- Delta Health Alliance
- Gaining Ground Sustainability Institute
- Gulf Coast Health Educators
- Hernando Farmers Market
- Indianola Main Street
- Mississippi Association of Cooperatives
- Mississippi Center for Justice
- Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation
- Mississippi Health Advocacy Program
- Mississippi Poultry Association
- Mississippi Roadmap to Health Equity
- Mississippi Small Farm Development Center
- My Brother’s Keeper
- Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi
- Peco Farms of Mississippi
- Real Food Gulf Coast
Individuals:
- Emily Broad-Leib, Harvard Law School Health Law and Policy Clinic
- Darnella Burkett-Winston, Mississippi Association of Cooperatives
- Diane Claughton, Real Food Gulf Coast & Ocean Springs Fresh Market
- Christine Coker, Mississippi State University
- Maya Crooks, Mississippi Association of Cooperatives
- Charles Houston, North Delta Produce Growers Association
- Mary Beth Lasseter, Southern Foodways Alliance
- Elizabeth McKinley, Wellness Plus
- Kimberly Morgan, Mississippi State University
- Ruby Ringold-Brady, Holmes Community College
- Tonitrice Wicks, University of Mississippi Medical Center student
Get Involved
To learn more about the Mississippi Food Policy Council, join the MHAP email list here
Resources
- No available resources
Please also visit msroadtoreform.org.
Mississippi is a state that has had a long, sad history with health outcomes. The confluence of historical racial and economic baggage, indifferent and sometimes hostile leadership, and long-standing, suffocating poverty has created a seemingly untenable environment for change. At this writing, Mississippi has 17.9% of its citizens uninsured, 40% in poverty according to the federal poverty level guidelines, and 22.1% of its citizens on Medicaid. These are the results of years of neglect on the issue of health care coverage.
The Affordable Act
The landmark Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act (PPACA) that was signed into law in March 2010 presented a once in a decade opportunity for Mississippi to envision health care delivery in way that is tailored our specific needs. The bill is a comprehensive effort that strives to open up and protect current access to both public health care programs and the private insurance market. It aims to cover 32 million more Americans, while ensuring protections for the millions that are currently insured. As health care advocates, our goal is to work diligently to engage the public and policymakers in making sure that the vision and promise of health care reform for thousands of Mississippians is realized. It is our hope that our website dedicated to health care reform, msroadtoreform.org, will be a trusted source for providing accurate, timely, and easily understood information about what health care reform really means for you and your family.
Mississippi Health Reform Project
MHAP’s long-term goal for this project is to build, mobilize and sustain a diverse statewide coalition of Mississippians committed to expanding health insurance coverage for all uninsured citizens of this State. We also want to begin a substantive dialogue around coverage expansion in this State.
Get Involved
Learn more and get involved in issues regarding health care reform by visiting our website, msroadtoreform.org and by signing up for our email list.
Resources
- No available resources
583,000 Mississippians are provided health insurance through the state’s Medicaid program. Medicaid is health insurance that helps many people who can’t afford medical care pay for some or all of their medical bills. 60% of the Medicaid population is children.
Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal government and the states. Each state administers its own program, and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) monitors the programs and sets quality, funding, and eligibility standards. Mississippi receives $3 from the federal government for each dollar it spends on the program. The program is not only vital to the wellbeing of Mississippians but it also acts as an economic engine, creating jobs throughout the state.
This section of our Web site provides resources on Medicaid laws and regulations and keeps you up-to-date on the battle to sustain and improve this important program.
If you or anyone you know needs assistance with Medicaid, CHIP or any private insurance plan, please Call Health Help Mississippi at 1-877-314-3843
Mississippi CHIP
UnitedHealthCare currently provides coverage to children enrolled in Mississippi’s Children Health Insurance Program. Mississippi Chip can provide children with coverage for:
• Preventative care
• Eye Care
• Prescription medications (drugs)
• Vaccinations (shots)
• Dental care
• Hospital visits
To learn if your child qualifies for Mississippi CHIP call Health Help Mississippi at 1-877-314-3843
Medicaid under Health Reform
People who earn less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level, $14,484 this year, will qualify for Medicaid in all states, under the law.
The federal government—not the states—will bear the overwhelming majority of the cost of the Medicaid expansion
The federal government will fully finance the Medicaid expansion for all newly eligible Medicaid enrollees for the first three years of the expansion (calendar years 2014 through 2016). And while states will take on a small share of the expansion costs between 2017 and 2019, the federal government will pay for 95.4 percent of the overall cost of the Medicaid expansion between 2014 and 2019.
Resources
Click Here to read How Health Reform Helps Low-Income Children
- No available resources
High quality and affordable health care is available to those eligible in Mississippi through the Medicaid program or Children via the CHIP program. Health Help can help connect you and your family with available health care options.
On March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law which created greater access to health for all Mississippians. Health Help serves as a resource to help Mississippians navigate the new benefits under health care reform.
Our counselors are available Monday–Friday from 9am–5pm.
Health Help
800 N. President Street
Jackson, MS 39202
1-877-314-3843
- No available resources